Halo Effect
by Missus T
Summary: Celebrity Eric Northman plays good Samaritan when Sookie gets injured by the paparazzi following him. What happens when they discover that she has amnesia? When all is said and done, can you find true love in a flash of blinding light?
1. Angel

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 1: Angel**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Southern Vampires characters or stories. All copyright belongs to Charlaine Harris.**

A/N:  
This story grew out of an article written about a picture of ASkars at the Golden Globes in January 2010. Mandi Bierly from EW joked that it (the picture) looked like a scene from a Lifetime movie…I mentioned in chatting that I would be one of the 5 dorks on the planet that watched it and **Sapfirerose** said she would read the story if it was a Fanfic. That was it, I was sucked in - I had to write it. (See the link to the article/picture at the end of this chapter.)

I've taken some liberties with the original idea that Mandi presented however. I don't live in LA, have never been there...SO – since there's an amazing setting near me that would work…I picked it up and moved the whole story here.

HUGE thanks to **Sapfirerose** and **ARedHeadThing** for being the beta-team extreme. They have been the best cheerleaders! Thanks girls, you're the best! *smooch* If you find any mistakes, they are my fault! :)

Chapter 1

**SPOV**

_Divorced. I am divorced. I am a divorcee._ Yeah, no matter how many times I say it to myself, it's just bizarre.

Fuck Bill Compton. Fucking cheating bastard. I gave him ten years of my life. I paid his way through dental school and this is how he returns the favor? A big fucking fuck you very much, Sookie. I had already legally taken back my maiden name of Stackhouse.

I'm pretty sure my head was still spinning around like that little girl in the movie. What was it? _The Exorcist_? He got his fucking hygienist pregnant. I had been on a calculated, double coverage birth control plan because Bill wasn't ready for a family. Instead he got fucking Lorena pregnant.

My dreams had dissolved in an instant, but it had taken over a year for the divorce to become final. With the papers in hand, I drove up I-94 around Lake Michigan, headed for the only place that I had ever found solace; the cottage.

Three hours after leaving the Chicago traffic behind, I was on the other side of the Lake. I smiled as my Camry drove us closer and closer to the little bungalow that had been in my family for three generations. Bill had hated it here; it should have been a sign.

Nestled in the middle of Saugatuck, Michigan the cottage was my safe haven. It was the setting for many of my fondest memories. Christmas Day snowed in with Gran as a kid, Fourth of July before my senior year of high school, and the Halloween parade just after my twenty-first birthday. Saugatuck and the neighboring village of Douglas had been resort towns for over one-hundred years. In 1910 a group of artists from Chicago established the Summer School of Paintings on Ox-Bow Lagoon to strengthen the connection between the two very different towns. Even now, Ox-Bow remains affiliated with the Art Institute of Chicago.

Saugatuck had several claims to fame, but topping the list were The Dunes and the Waterfront Film Festival (WFF). The Dunes was the largest gay-lesbian resort in the Midwest; thus the annual adults only drunken Halloween Parade. It wasn't for the faint of heart and it was a blast! The WFF was recognized a few years ago by SAGIndie magazine as the third most popular film festival in the world. Film makers and fans overtook the town every June for four days of cinematic screenings and fun. Saguatuck also boasted art galleries, gift stores, restaurants, fudge shops and three tasting rooms for local wineries. The year round population in Saugatuck was around 3,500 people, but it damn near tripled in the summer; or at least it always seemed that way.

I spent most of my summers there growing up. When I was old enough, I waited tables at The Butler for spending money and soaked in the sun at Oval Beach. I was hoping that the little town could lift my spirits again, the way it always had in my youth. I was banking on it in fact, having sold my condo and started working with a contractor to winterize the house for year round use.

I didn't know a lot of people in town, but my neighbor, Amelia, grew up in the house next door to my cottage. She and her husband Tray bought it when her parents retired to Florida and I was looking forward to having a close friend nearby. Bill hadn't wanted to socialize with many of the locals when he came to the cottage. In fact, when he was in town we usually spent time with other FIP's (Fucking Illinois People). FIP is the local term for the Chicagoans that overtake the city and most of south west Michigan each summer. Bill hated the nickname. He thought the _locals_ should have appreciated the commerce brought in by the summer visitors, but I understood how they felt. I had been in Saugatuck during the off season. It was even more beautiful, with a peacefulness and charm that was completely different than its summer hustle and flow.

I wasn't surprised by the traffic when I came in off of the highway. It was a gorgeous evening in June, so the busy roads were normal. Even though it was dusk, the shops were open late and there would be live music on the deck at Coral Gables. But as I turned onto Old Allegan Road to head in to the city center, I saw the banner for WFF. My brain had been fuzzy for so long with the big D I didn't even realize that I was arriving on the opening day of the Festival. _Shit._

I hoped Amelia was up to her usual parking scam and was keeping people out of my driveway. I had texted her that the divorce was a done deal and I was on the way, but I had completely zoned out on the fact it was festival week and hadn't asked about the parking situation.

Coming around the corner onto Hummingbird Lane, I laughed out loud at the site before me. Amelia was camped out in an Adirondack chair on her front lawn with a cooler and a money belt. There was a hand painted sign reading, "WFF Parking $5 - Beer Available w/ Additional Donation." Cars were lined up in her driveway, as well as the drive of her elderly neighbors on the other side, but my driveway was clear.

I parked and got out to stretch. Shaking my head at Amelia, I hollered, "You better give me a cut if you park cars in my drive!"

"Hey single lady!" she yelled. "I'll pay you in beers like I always do! Now get your stuff unloaded and come over. I'll make Tray drag the other chair out front for you!"

Making a couple of trips in and out, I took my suitcases and a few bags and boxes into the house, but I wasn't planning to spend the night there. The water needed to be turned on since I hadn't been up yet for the summer, and the weatherization wasn't quite finished yet. I wanted it to be completed before I officially took up residence, because I didn't want workmen coming in and out all day under my feet. The cottage was fully furnished in a multi-generational Stackhouse style of accumulated junk, but since I was going to be living here full time, I wanted to make it my own. I had sorted through my things in Chicago, packing what I couldn't stand to part with, and donating the rest to charity. Since it wouldn't all fit in my car, I was shipping the remaining things to myself. I planned on splitting my time, until I could officially move in, between the cottage and the Shoreline hotel that was owned by my other neighbors, Ginger and Felicia.

Tray met me in the yard with a cold beer. We sat and talked about the crowds for WFF and the movies showing in the coming days. Amelia was overly excited about a movie screening the next night and begged me to come with her; Tray was more than willing to give up his ticket. We finalized our plans as I finished my beer and I grabbed my overnight bag before walking a few blocks to the hotel.

Apparently, Ginger and Felicia were out of town for the night, so the high school girl behind the desk checked me in. The Shoreline was a quaint little place with a community room for watching television, playing board games and sitting by the fireplace. The Ritz Carlton it was not. The girls had been fixing it up over the years and I needed to take a good look around in the morning, but I wanted nothing more than to sleep, for hours. I had been putting on a brave front, but this whole divorce thing, _shudder_, had caught up with me. Finding what I needed, I threw my bag in on the dresser, washed my face, brushed my teeth and crawled into bed.

In the morning, I wandered around the common areas of the Shoreline, admiring the new artwork and modifications the girls had made over the last year. Amelia called, saying she had forgotten to tell me, but she signed me up to volunteer with her taking tickets for a few hours in the afternoon for one of the Festival venues.

Grabbing a sandwich from Pumpernickel's, I wandered back to the cottage. Checking in with the contractor, Hoyt Fortenberry, who told me that he would be done in the next couple of days. I couldn't wait for the work to be finished. Unpacking my things I lost track of time, and suddenly, I was running late to meet Amelia for our volunteer shift.

We met at our assigned location and relieved the previous volunteers. It was the eleventh year of the Festival and we had volunteered every summer, so we knew the drill. Our three hour time slot flew by. We chatted and giggled like school girls, and she told me about the movie we had tickets for.

We were going to see a comedy starring a pretty famous actor, Eric Northman. He had a lead role in a vampire show on cable called _Bloodlust_, but still loved doing indie films and an occasional music video when he could. For all his success however, he was a very private person, who shied away from the larger film festivals and red carpet events. Amelia said she heard that he was renting a house on the Lake and would be making an appearance at the screening.

One of the best parts about WFF was the dress code. There was none. It was summertime in Michigan, so casual attire was the way to go, and the Festival was no different. However, I didn't want to wear my volunteer t-shirt to the movie and whatever we decided to do after, so I ran back to the hotel to freshen up, and change. I was excited. For all of my years a food writer in Chicago, I had never been that close to a celebrity, well except for John Cusack. But first of all, he was from Illinois, so he didn't count, and secondly, he is a dick in real life. You can ask my friend Nicole, she'll confirm it.

Did I mention that the population of Saugatuck tripled during the summer? Well, it's even worse during the Film Festival. Despite my best attempts, I was running late to meet Amelia as I weaved through the crowd. Working my way to the Center for the Arts along with several hundred other people, I tried to take a short cut that only locals would know and dialed Amelia on my phone as I came out of an alley.

Suddenly, I ran into a gigantic something or other, my phone went flying, and I wound up sprawled on the sidewalk. I winced at my scraped hands and elbows and what was certain to be a large goose egg on the back of my head. Looking up into a surprising halo of light, I saw what could only be described as an angel. He gazed back at me with a look of utmost concern.

I held my hand up to shield my eyes from the light shining from over his shoulder. He was tall, or maybe it looked that way because I was on the ground. He had blond hair, a five o'clock shadow and blue eyes that resembled deep pools. Unexpectedly, I realized that we were surrounded by people with cameras and microphones, although none of them were trained on me. The attention was focused on my angel, and he looked especially uncomfortable.

Without ceremony, a large man wearing a headset stepped into the midst of what must have been paparazzi, and began asking them to give us some space. He waved his arms around making some vulgar comments and the vultures seemed to scatter.

Rubbing my head, I tried to piece together what had happened. The beautiful man, God, angel, or whatever he was, squatted down and put a hand on the back of my head, as if feeling for a bump.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah," I said, trying to laugh. "Nothing hurt but my pride."

Honestly, I was embarrassed. My head was killing me, my hands and knees were burning and I wanted to go home.

"Are you sure?" he asked again. "You were out for several seconds."

_What? I was out for a few seconds? What was he talking about? _

"No, really, I'm alright. I think I'm just going to go home."

"Okay. Is there someone there? I mean, you lost consciousness. You shouldn't be alone."

_Wow, unconscious? Had I really been knocked out? Huh. Weird._ _Maybe I should be worried. Was there someone at home? I wasn't sure. _

"Um, I'm not sure if anyone's there."

"Alright. Hang on," he said as he stood. "Alcide, I'm kind of worried about her. She's not sure if anyone's at home."

"Oh, yeah. She shouldn't be alone. You need to get going though, you're already late," said the man in the headset, whose name must have been Alcide. "The sharks are circling around the corner waiting for you," he continued. "I had to call for some extra volunteers. I know you hate it, but there's going to be a swarm. Let me figure out how to get her home." He paused and I could almost see him processing his thoughts. "I guess I'll just take your rental car. I'll come back for you or get a volunteer to bring you back to your place later."

"No," my hero said, looking distraught. "I'll take her home, Cide. She got knocked out because those damn photographers were following me. I'll make it up to the Festival people tomorrow or something."

"But, you said after tonight…"

"I'll make it up to them," my savior interrupted with finality.

Alcide didn't appear to like that idea, but shrugged and began talking into his headset as if we weren't there.

My knight in shining armor extended a hand and helped me up. I dusted off, thinking that I must look like a complete ass in front of this deity of a man who was clearly important with all of the media following him and an assistant doing his bidding.

"I'll take you home," he said. "I want to make sure someone is there so you're not alone. Is that okay?"

With a nod from me, he put his hand on my back and lowered his head, as if shielding his face from passers-by, escorting me down a side street. We got into a red Corvette that made me laugh, because Alcide had called it a rental. _Who rents a Corvette?_ He looked familiar, but my head was still smarting, so I didn't think about it. He started the car and turned the on the air-conditioning before giving me a shy smile.

"Alright," he said. "Can you give me directions to your place?"

"Yeah," I started, but then I realized I couldn't. "I mean, I don't know."

"I'm sorry, what?"

_Give me a minute hottie, I'm thinking. Fuck. I have no idea where I live. Do I live in town? _

"Wow. I can't remember."

"Alright, that's okay. Let's try something a little easier. What's your name?"

_Oh, good. This is an easy one. Or, it should be. Ohmygod. What's my name? Ohmygod. _

"Fuck," I said, starting to cry. "I have no idea."

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Squeeee! Yup, I went there, I really did. AmnesiaSookie!

Um. (Bites nails) So what do you think? Push the button, you know you want to, and give me some feedback! Thanks in advance, you know I love review crack. ~grin!~

Below are the links to pertinent info - you have to remove the spaces (and the playlist that I started! LOL).

**Picture of Alexander Skarsgard at Golden Globes inspires Lifetime movie in my ****Head **by Mandi Bierly  
http: /popwatch . ew . com/2010/01/19/alexander-skarsgard-golden-globes/ If Mandi's linke doesnt work, try this one. (It's a great blog you check out anyway!) http:/sookiestackhouse . com/?p=4819

Saugatuck Information/History:  
www . saugatuck . com

Waterfront Film Festival  
www . waterfrontfilmfestival . org

The Dunes  
http:/douglasdunes . com/

My Playlist - You'll have to choose Halo  
www . playlist . com /leapoffaith


	2. Amnesia

**Title: Halo Effect  
****Chapter 2: Amnesia  
****Disclaimer: I don't own the Southern Vampires characters or stories. All copyright belongs to Charlaine Harris.**

**A/N:  
**First, several reviewers have said that I have to tell you this – If you haven't done it already, go look at the picture/article that inspired this little Ode to ASkars (the link is in my profile and at the end of the last chapter). The picture really does fit chapter 1 to a tee – or vice versa. LOL

I also need to say that some of my best friends are FIPs. LOL Thanks to those of you reviewing from Illinois that thought it was funny; I hope no one else was offended.

Thanks again for the review love! I really like this Eric. As I told some of you in replies, this is how I see ASkars, I hope he is this sweet in real life. (Fingers crossed that I will someday get the opportunity to find out – and not make a complete ass of myself if I do!)

Nutella covered kisses to **A Red Head Thing** and **Sapfirerose** for being my test subjects and beta guru's. Thanks so much for loving this story as much as I do!

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**EPOV**

I wasn't sure how I ended up scheduled to spend the entire month of June here, but looking at the view of Lake Michigan from my rented house, I didn't want to be anywhere else. I had told my assistant, Alcide, that I would be attending the Waterfront Film Festival for a screening of my latest film and that I wanted to get out of Los Angeles to take a month off this summer. How those two things had co-mingled in his mind, I'm not sure.

Yet here I am; in a quiet house on a bluff overlooking the Lake. I am removed from all that is Hollywood. It's fine with me. I hate the limelight. Most people are surprised to learn how I feel about my role in the public eye. I tolerate it, just barely.

I think it comes from years of being singled out growing up. Being different is a horrible thing for any child; and my height had always received attention growing up. I was bullied in my elementary years, teased in middle school, and then in high school, I was spotlighted in athletics and focused on by girls because they found me attractive. All I ever wanted was to blend in.

Very few people knew how I felt about being a celebrity. If I told someone how I really felt, I then had a hard time explaining why I liked acting, but not show business. It's simple though, really. Being on a stage, or acting out a scene, is easy because it's not really me. I find it instinctual to become the character I'm playing, to stand under the lights and completely separate myself from the situation. For me, performing and being observed are two completely different things.

Listening to the waves, I laughed, remembering that I told Pam that a Lake would never compare to the Pacific Ocean. I couldn't have been more wrong. Over the past week, the sound of the water had lulled me to sleep several times, and I found myself, more than once, forgetting that the body of water I was looking at was in fact, just a lake. The word "lake" really didn't seem to do it justice.

The sliding glass door opened and I heard Alcide talking on his Bluetooth head set, disturbing my reverie. I gave him a look, and he cut the call short.

"Eric," he said, "I hope you're enjoying yourself. Pam would like to talk to you later."

"It's great Alcide. I just want to get tonight over with and start my vacation." I would have to talk to Pam later; she was my manager and was a pain in the ass if you didn't return her calls. She stalked you until you gave up and talked to her.

"I know. I know. I have some papers from Pam that I need you to look at in the morning and we've been approached to have you do a photo shoot here on the beach."

He was always trying to get me to do things I didn't want to. It was his job, but it didn't mean I had to like it. I could be kind of intense; in fact, some people would tell you tell you that I'm downright scary.

I cut him off. "No. My vacation starts the minute I get back here tonight. You and Pam will only be communicating with me via e-mail unless I initiate it."

"Fine. Fine. Whatever you say. Are you going like that? I mean, I know this is casual, but you could at least fucking shave."

"Alcide, shut the fuck up. Let's go."

"Pam is going to kill me for letting you going out in public like that. To a festival no less."

"She's in California, she can't kill you."

"That's what you think," he muttered as we walked through the house.

We headed into town and I drove around the block a couple of times, looking for a parking spot, listening to Alcide complain that I needed a driver. The streets were busy, but everyone was friendly, and a young couple waved, pointing to their car, indicating I should wait for the spot. Seriously, this would never happen in Los Angeles.

Our parking spot was a few blocks from the Center for the Arts since the lots near it were practically overflowing. Alcide was bitching about the Festival not having parking for celebrities, and I finally told him to shut up. In all honesty, I hadn't told anyone that I would be driving, and it was nice to walk around unmolested.

Coming around the corner onto the main street, I winced. _So much for the unmolested bit_. A horde of paparazzi was hovering, waiting for my arrival. _Damn Corvette_. I knew I should have gotten a Ford or something. They had seen me driving into town and laid in wait.

The hot lights flipped on, shouted questions and elbows began flying, and they jockeyed for position. This is what I hated. A roped off red carpet was bad enough, but this was a cluster fuck. There were kind and considerate fans being pushed out of the way so these vultures could follow me. Alcide knew how much it pissed me off and tried to clear them away to no avail.

We were shuffling along, because walking was nearly impossible while surrounded. I caught a flash of blonde hair out of the corner of my eye and saw the person go down, knocked out of the way by a television camera that had swung around to film my approach.

"Shit," I said, pushing the camera man out of the way. He hadn't even noticed the poor, _oh fuck me_, woman he took out. She was sprawled on the sidewalk, having been completely bowled over, and, _son of a bitch_, she was out cold. In just a few seconds she blinked and tried to sit up. That was good, but damn, I couldn't believe she'd been trampled on so someone could video tape me. It pissed me the fuck off, and he was still trying to get footage, shooting over my shoulder with that damn spotlight on. I gave Alcide a look and he knew that it was time for the paparazzi to back off, or Pam would kill him after I caused a scene.

The blonde woman was shielding her eyes from the light, looking totally surprised at her position on the ground as her eyes met mine. I could tell she was trying to figure out what had happened, blinking and rubbing the back of her head. Then her eyes widen as she realized we were surrounded by the media. Her eyes came back to mine and she looked at me with adoration, but not like a crazy fan, it was like she had seen an angel.

She was adorable. She wore plaid shorts in shades of pink and brown and a pink t-shirt that showed just enough cleavage to make my mouth water. Blonde hair fell to her shoulders in waves and blue eyes focused on me as she let out a sigh. She was still looking at me like I had dropped down from on-high, and I thought I could see a little bit of Heaven in her eyes as well.

_Fuck, Northman. Pull it together; she just got knocked out by a vulture that was following you. _

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She made joke about the only thing hurt being her pride, and I realized that she had no idea that she'd actually lost consciousness. I asked her again, adding that detail to the question, and watched her expression as she puzzled over the information, like she didn't believe me.

"No, really, I'm alright. I think I'm just going to go home," she said.

_Stubborn_, I thought. I knew from playing sports that losing consciousness was bad; that you should watch out for a concussion, so I wanted to make sure she wouldn't be alone if she went home.

She said she didn't know if anyone was there, so I told Alcide I was taking her home to make sure. He was giving me shit about being late and needing to make an appearance at the film, and I shut him down. _Fuck him_. I was making sure she was alright. I'd deal with the producers and the Festival people in the morning.

I led her down the side street to the fucking Vette, cursing Alcide anew for renting the damn thing. I love Corvette's. I own three for Christ's sake, but I didn't need one here. I felt like a pretentious jackass, but I tried to push it aside.

Starting the engine and cranking the air, I turned, asking her for directions. She looked a little shell shocked, wide eyed and dumbstruck. _What the Hell? I just asked where she lived._

Then I saw her lip start to quiver, and she said she didn't know.

"I'm sorry, what?" Maybe she hit her head harder than I thought.

"Wow. I can't remember."

This was starting to look bad. I should have had Alcide find a medic. What should I do? I decided to try something basic.

I asked what her name was, looking at her expectantly, and watched her start to crumble.

"Fuck," she said, starting to cry, "I have no idea."

"It's okay. Let's just think. What's in your pockets? Do you have an I.D. or anything?" Seriously, I couldn't believe this was happening.

Rooting around in her adorable little shorts, she came up with a twenty dollar bill and a key that appeared to be for a hotel, but it only had a number on it, so we had no idea what hotel it was for.

"It's okay," I said, putting a hand on her arm, my voice slipping into a calming tone. I had two younger brothers and I'd kept them calm numerous times until one of our parents arrived to take them to the Emergency Room. Young boys are accident prone and having three in one household was extremely dangerous.

She looked at me, eyes full of tears, and it broke my heart. _What was I supposed to do with her?_ Glancing in the mirror, I saw three or four photographers coming down the block. _Fuck._ They'd found the car. Again, I thought, _the Corvette does not blend in_. I eased the car out of the parking space. I didn't want to upset her, but I didn't want our picture taken either.

"It's not okay. I don't know who I am or where I live," she blurted out quickly. Then, biting back a sob, she said, "But what's totally crazy is I think I know who you are. And I most certainly shouldn't be in the car with you, if you are who I think you are."

Well, that was good. She hadn't completely lost her memory; and she seemed to have a sense of humor.

"Why shouldn't you be in the car with me?" I said with a smile.

"Are you who I think you are?"

"Who's that?"

"Don't be coy. You're you, aren't you?"

She didn't realize that what she said made no sense, it was cute. I continued smiling.

"If "you" is Eric Northman, then, yes, I am," I said, watching for her reaction.

"Shit. This is wrong on so many levels."

"What do you mean by that?" I said, laughing.

"I mean, I have no clue who I am or where I live; but I know that I should be completely freaking out to be sitting here with you because you're famous, and…where are we going?"

"I was getting us away from some photographers. We can go to the hospital. That's probably where I should take you."

"No. No hospital. I don't, I mean, I think I don't like hospitals."

"No one likes hospitals. What about the police station?" She shook her head at that too, looking out the window. "Do you want me to take you to my beach house and we'll try to figure this out?"

She sighed, "Yeah. That sounds good, if you don't mind."

Suddenly she sat forward and looked at me. "Oh, crap. Do you have plans or something? You don't need do this, really."

"No. No. This is fine. This whole thing is my fault. We'll just try to relax and see if it comes back to you."

"Okay, if you're sure."

"I'm sure," I said, turning off on the beach road leading to the place I was renting.

I parked in the driveway and she looked around.

"There's a bridge to get to your house," she said in awe.

"I know. Isn't it cool? My assistant rented it for me."

We got out of the car and walked over the bridge that covered a ravine between the house and the driveway. The area was very green with bushes and foliage, making the house seem like a giant tree-house. It was really great, but I wasn't going to tell Alcide how much I liked it. He didn't need the ego boost.

She walked through the house, looking around, but went straight out on to the deck. Exhaling, she stood looking out at the Lake.

"Would you like something to drink?" I asked from the doorway.

"Diet Coke," she said over her shoulder without hesitation.

I smiled.

"What?"

"You remember what you like to drink."

"Oh. Yeah," she smiled. "I do."

"I'll be right back," I said, heading to the kitchen.

When I returned outside she was curled up in a deck chair, still looking out at the water. I took the chair next to her and sat down our drinks. The clinking of the glasses caught her attention, and she turned, giving me a shy smile.

"So," I said uncertainly. "Where should we start?"

"Can we talk about you? Then I can just relax and maybe I'll remember."

"I don't really like to talk about me," I said.

"You don't?"

"No, do you? I mean, like to talk about yourself?"

She laughed, "I'm not really sure right now but probably not. Just small talk, okay? Like, how long are you here?"

"Small talk I can do. I'm here for a month, on vacation."

"Really? What are you going to do while you're here?"

"Relax," I said with a sigh. "Maybe do some wine tasting? The rental agent left me some brochures and travel guides. I had no idea how many wineries there are in Michigan."

"Oh yeah, it's really fun to wine taste from here to Chicago. There are like ten wineries on the way, and two casinos."

I grinned, but didn't say a word.

"Holy shit! How do I know that? Let's keep talking! Okay. Okay. Is anyone coming to visit? Will you be here by yourself all month?"

I knew she wasn't asking if I was single, but I figured I'd slip that little piece of information in there. _Shit. Would she remember if she was single?_ I glanced at her hand and didn't see a ring on her left hand, or even the lines from a ring. _What the hell was I thinking?This whole situation was nuts. _

"I think my brothers are coming out the last week I'm here, but I'm not sure. I, ah, I'm single, so other than that, it'll just be me."

"Wow, almost a whole month to yourself."

She seemed to drift into her own thoughts and I wondered if I had upset her.

"Everything okay in there?" I said, tapping her head, trying to keep things light.

"It's a little scrambled. I'm just bewildered by what I know and what I don't."

"Like what?"

"Hmmm…Well, I know who you are and I know you're on _Blood Lust_," she said laughing, "I know my way around Saugatuck, I recognized a lot in the car. I like Diet Coke apparently, there's a hair tie on my wrist, so I must wear my hair up, and I'm not be a vegetarian, because someone down the beach is grilling and it smells fabulous, but that's about it. I feel kind of crazy, like I'm losing my mind."

"You're not crazy," I said, putting my hand over hers.

"I'm not a stalker fan either. I know that." She said, glancing at me.

"I didn't think you were."

"Yeah, well, earlier I said all of that 'If you are who I think you are' stuff, and I didn't want you to be weirded out."

"It was actually kind of sweet. Most people just interrupt whatever is going on and ask for an autograph. You didn't even assume that I was me."

"It might have something to do with my loss of consciousness, but in general, I like to think I was raised better than that."

"Oh, really?"

"Damn! I did it again!"

"It will all come back. You'll be okay," I said, rubbing the back of her hand.

It was all very bizarre. I felt like we had known each other for years. I couldn't believe how comfortable I felt with this woman that didn't even know her own name. She shivered, and I realized that the temperature had gone down with the sun.

"It's getting cold. Would you like to go inside, or I can get us some blankets?"

"Oh, inside I think."

Moving into the living room she claimed what a corner of the couch. I made coffee and she added that to her list of things she knew. She liked coffee, black. I sat on the other end of the couch and we turned to face each other. I was completely at ease with her and she seemed relaxed as well.

We talked about the movie I had showing at the Festival; laughing as I told her about some of the on-set drama with my costars. She couldn't believe that people who got paid so much money could be so petty, which had me rolling with laughter.

We spoke amicably for hours, although I did most of the talking. I told her about life in Los Angeles and how I really didn't know what was coming up in the next season of _Blood Lust_. At some point she had stretched her legs out on the couch; and I unconsciously began rubbing her feet. She didn't pull away and we continued talking as if I wasn't a total stranger massaging her arches.

Eventually she began to yawn. I couldn't remember if I shouldn't let her fall asleep because of getting knocked out, but it had been several hours and she wasn't having any symptoms of a concussion, well, except for her memory loss.

"Do you want to go to bed?" I asked. "In the guest room, I mean. We'll figure out who to call in the morning. Sound good?"

"Yeah," she said, yawning again. "Thank you again for this; for taking care of me."

"Anytime."

Holding out a hand to her, I helped her up and led her to the stairs. Regretfully I let go of her hand, cursing myself for being such a pathetic sap. I had to remind myself this wasn't a date. I didn't even know her really. She followed me to the guest room and waited while I grabbed a t-shirt for her to sleep in.

"Goodnight," I said. "I'm right down the hall if you need anything."

"Alright. Thanks again, Eric. Really, you didn't have to do this."

"Hey, this is my fault. The stupid cameras were there for me. I wouldn't have felt right letting anyone else take care of you."

"Well, goodnight," she said, and she went into the guest room, closing the door behind her.

After hearing the door click shut, I stood there for a minute, shaking my head. She was the one with memory loss and I was acting like a fool. Heading to my room, I thought that I really had been single too long.

A few minutes later, I came out of the master bathroom still thinking about her and ready to crawl in bed. _Who was she and where did she live? Why was she at the Festival? Was she meeting someone?_ There were so many details she couldn't remember that I was itching to know.

I stopped dead in my tracks. She was standing in the doorway to my bedroom backlit by the hall light that I had left on so she could find the bathroom.

"Did you need something?" I asked, trying not to sound too excited that she was standing there.

"Yeah, um. Oh, never mind. It's stupid," she said, turning to go.

"No, wait. Tell me, I'm sure it's not stupid."

"Shit," she said, pulling her hair back from her face. "Can I sleep in here? I can't stop thinking in there and when I was with you tonight it was better."

_Holy shit! Like I'm going to say no? _I should say no, but I couldn't.

"Yeah, of course. If that's what you want to do."

"Thank you. I just can't be alone with my own thoughts."

I walked to my side of the bed and waited, was she really going to get in my bed? _Fuck. How did I get myself into this?_ She hesitated for just a second, and then pulled the sheets back on her side and climbed in.

It was my turn to hesitate. _Under the covers or over the covers? Damn. What was the right thing to do?_

She must have sensed my dilemma. Smiling, she said, "Get in silly. It's your bed."

Careful not to touch her, I got under the covers and tried not to think about her lying next to me in nothing but my too big t-shirt. With a sigh, she reached out to hold my hand.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Smiling in the dark, I squeezed her hand in reassurance. When I finally felt her drift off to sleep, we were still holding hands.

* * *

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**A/N:**

Thanks again for reading. The response to this has been phenomenal!

Awwww…Dontcha just love him? How are they going to figure out who she is? Send me a little review lovin' to keep my writing mojo going!


	3. If You Hate Pina Coladas

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 3 - If You Hate Pina Coladas**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Southern Vampires characters or stories. All copyright belongs to Charlaine Harris.**

A/N: Oh man! Thanks for the love that this story has been getting! I am really enjoying hearing what everyone thinks about amnesia Sookie! OH- and somehow chapters one and two got posted without chapter titles...bad Missus T! I'm not sure I can change them in the list - but so you know - the titles would be - Ch1: Angel and Ch2:Amnesia. Sorry about that.

Big thanks to the betagirls Sapfirerose and A Redhead Thing. Nutellatini's all around ladies. You deserve 'em.

I could chat for a while here, but you all just want to find out how they discover Sookie's identity - so - I'll shut up. :)

000oo000oo000oo000

**SPOV**

Eric showed me to the guest room last night and I tried to sleep in there. Well, I tried for about three minutes. As soon as I got under the covers my mind was flooded with questions. Who _am I? Where do I live? What do I do for a living? Is there someone looking for me? Worried about me? What if I don't remember?_ The thoughts bombarded me. It had been better when I was with Eric. When we were together, sitting on the couch, and even when we were outside, my brain hadn't been in this frenzy. It had been easy to think about him; to ask him questions and listen to his smooth voice tell me stories about his life.

He was still in the bathroom getting ready for bed. I could hear the water running as I made my way down the hall. I waited in the doorway to ask him for permission to sleep in his room. It seemed so crazy. _What was I doing?_ He was my life raft right now and I trusted him.

The bathroom door opened and he stopped in his tracks when he saw me.

"Did you need something?" he asked.

"Yeah, um…Oh, never mind. It's stupid," I said, turning to go. This was an awful idea. He was a total stranger. Just because he felt safe to me, I was still nothing to him.

"No, wait. Tell me, I'm sure it's not stupid."

"Shit," I said, pulling my hair back. "Can I sleep in here? I can't stop thinking in there and when I was with you tonight it was better."

_Damn, I hoped that made sense._ I didn't want to have to go back there and listen to myself, whoever I was, thinking all night long. He looked a little nervous, _fuck_, I was about to go back to the guest room when he spoke.

"Yes, of course. If that's what you want to do."

"Thank you. I just can't be alone with my thoughts."

He walked to the other side of the bed and stood there with a strange look on his face. I hesitated for a second on my side, then pulled back the sheets and climbed in. He wasn't moving and I realized he was trying to figure out if I would be comfortable if he got under the covers with me. At least I hoped that was what was going on, that he wasn't standing there totally repulsed or freaked out that I was in his bed.

Crossing my fingers under the covers, I tried to make him relax, saying, "Get in silly. It's your bed."

He slid under the sheets next to me and lay on his back, keeping his body close to the edge of the bed. God he was sweet. He was not at all what I imagined a gorgeous, A-list celebrity to be. This man was down to earth and a total gentleman.

With a sigh, I reached out to hold his hand under the sheet.

"Thank you," I whispered, closing my eyes and wishing that I would wake in the morning remembering everything.

When I woke in the morning, it was with a very warm, very male body curled around me. One arm was draped over my waist and I was holding his hand tucked against my stomach. I lay still, trying to clear the sleep from my brain and remembered the paparazzi take down, the night with Eric Northman, _bloody Hell_, and that fact that I still had no idea who I was. _Fuck._

I couldn't help but smile to myself even though I was in the midst of this amnesiac crisis. I was thrilled with the knowledge that Eric was spooning me, and he seemed quite happy about it, or maybe his body was just saying good morning. I was going to believe that it was about me.

"Which would be good if I knew who I was," I muttered, rolling to my back and realizing that he was awake.

He yawned, rubbing his hand over his hair and we smiled at each other. I was definitely not bringing up the spooning.

"Hi," I said, shyly.

"Good morning. How do you feel?" he asked.

"I feel okay."

"Do you remember anything else?"

"No," I said quietly, shaking my head.

"It'll be okay," he said, reaching out to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear.

I grabbed his hand as he brought it back to his side and held it on the bed between us. We lay there for a few minutes, just grinning at each other, and then the moment was ruined.

"E! Where are you?" Someone yelled up the stairs.

"We better get up," Eric said, "Alcide has no boundaries where I'm concerned."

"Oh! Um, okay. I need some pants," I said quietly. I was still under the covers in nothing but an over-sized t-shirt and my underwear.

He got out of bed and threw me some mesh workout shorts that tied at the waist. We heard Alcide heading up the stairs and I scrambled to pull the shorts on.

"I'll be down in a second Alcide. Would you start some coffee?" Eric yelled through the door as he pulled on his clothes.

"Yeah. Um, Sookie's friend Amelia is worried. Is she still here?"

I froze_. Sookie? Was that my name?_ Eric looked at me questioningly and I shook my head, it didn't mean anything to me. I suddenly realized that Eric hadn't called anyone last night after he brought me home. Alcide didn't even know that I lost my memory.

"Who?" Eric yelled, watching me while waited for more information.

"The girl from last night. We found her phone just after you left. Why am I yelling through the door dude? Come down here already. Is she here?"

"Are you ready?" Eric asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"I guess so," I shrugged. "At least he knows who I am." I should be excited, but I was terrified.

He squeezed my shoulder. "Hey, I'll be right here with you. It's okay. We need to know if you have a family or anyone looking for you. It sounds like your friend is worried."

"Okay," I said, exhaling. I liked the way he said, _we_. How had I gotten so lucky to end up with this man when I lost my memory?

We went down to the kitchen and it smelled like heaven in the form of a coffee mug.

"Morning E., Sookie. Amelia is totally worried about you. She called like five times last night."

I looked at Alcide, blinking; what was I supposed to say? I didn't know who Amelia was. Eric put a hand on my back, ushering me to a barstool.

"'Cide, she doesn't remember," Eric said, speaking for me.

"What?"

"She doesn't remember who she is."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Alcide said, looking back and forth between our faces. "Shit. Why didn't you call me? I've known who she was since like ten minutes after you left."

"Just tell the story. Who is she and how did you figure it out?"

"Okay. Chill. We found a cell phone after you guys walked away and it had pictures of her, I mean, you on it. Your name is Sookie," he said looking at me. "Does that ring a bell?"

I shook my head no, and he continued.

"That sucks. Anyway, we figured the phone must have been yours. Then," he said, turning to look at Eric, "While I was trying to cover your ass with the Festival guys, the phone started ringing. I thought it might be you calling, so I answered it. Turns out Sookie was supposed to meet her friend to see your movie last night. So her friend, Amelia, was all worried and trying to figure out what happened. I told her about you getting knocked out and that Eric was taking you home and she relaxed. We exchanged numbers to be on the safe side, and then she called me about an hour later to say Sookie hadn't shown up at home or at her hotel room."

"Home or hotel room? What do you mean?" Eric asked.

"Oh, she's having some work done on her house."

"I live here?" I asked.

"Yeah. Your divorce was final yesterday and you're moving into your family cottage here in Saugatuck. You're having it winterized."

"Fuck," Eric muttered at the same time I spoke in disbelief.

"How do you know all of that?"

Alcide laughed. "Technology baby. The last picture you took on your phone was of your divorce papers, they were dated yesterday. The cottage stuff, Amelia told me," he said with a shrug.

"Hang on, let's call your friend," he continued. Pulling out a pink cell phone that must have been mine, he made a call. "Amelia? Hello. Alcide Herveaux here. I found your friend, but we have a problem…Oh, no, that's not it. Well, she's still with Northman, yeah. But she sort of has amnesia…Yeah, that would be good. Here's the address," he said, rattling off the information and closing the phone. "She's on her way."

Eric stood behind me, putting his hand on my shoulder again and I relaxed a little. Alcide looked at us strangely, then answered his cell phone and stepped onto the balcony.

Taking a sip of my coffee, I sighed, "I don't remember getting divorced. Shouldn't I remember that?"

Eric laughed and sat next to me at the bar, "You don't remember your name; it's not surprising you don't remember being divorced."

Looking at him over my mug, I bit my lip. "Do you think it was my fault?"

"Your divorce?" he asked, "Well, I doubt it, but I'm sure Amelia can tell us."

"I don't remember her either. This really sucks."

He laughed again, "It'll be okay. Your friend will be here soon. It sounds like she knows you pretty well. She'll fill us in. Just hang on, okay?"

I let out a deep breath, "I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Nope," he said, standing and going to the coffee pot for a refill. He held the carafe out towards me and I nodded. I had a fleeting thought that maybe I should be doing shots of tequila or something to deal with whatever Amelia was going to say, but I couldn't remember if I liked it, so I stuck with the coffee.

Before she could arrive, I went upstairs to change into my own clothes and brush my hair. I felt a little bad rummaging around in Eric's bathroom, but was relieved to find a hairbrush and some mouthwash. I tried to smoothe the wrinkles from my shirt, but it really didn't help. I realized that the only kind of deoderant he had was sporty smelling and I wasn't interested in using that, but I found his cologne and had no problem dabbing a little of that on. I certainly wouldn't mind smelling like Eric Northman for a while. I returned to the kitchen and smiled at Eric who had toasted bagels and set out some cream cheese. I fixed myself a bagel and ate quickly, anxious for Amelia's arrival.

As I was finishing my breakfast, we heard quick footsteps on the bridge and a few seconds later there was a knock at the door. Eric answered it, greeting a woman that looked to be my age, and they introduced themselves to each other. She was tan, fit, had short curly chestnut hair and bright blue eyes. She wore khaki shorts, flip flops and a bright purple tank top, accented with an excess of silver jewelry. I didn't recognize anything about her.

"Sookie!" she squealed as she came through the door and walked straight over to me for a hug. "Are you okay?"

Stiffly, I stood in her embrace. "Um, I think so. I don't remember much of anything."

Amelia leaned back, "Really? I mean, Alcide said you had amnesia, but…really?"

I didn't remember her at all, but I did feel comfortable around her. Smiling, I shrugged. "Yeah. I have no idea who you are. I don't remember who I am either though, so don't feel bad."

"That sucks. I'm Amelia, you've known me since we were kids. Do you at least know who he is?" she said, stepping back and angling her head at Eric.

"I do," I said with a smile. "I just don't remember the important things, you know like who I am, where I live, what I do for a living, or why I got divorced. Shit. I don't know who I was married to."

"Oh, well I know all of that. You're Sookie Stackhouse, you just moved here to your families' summer place from Chicago where you were a food writer, and you divorced slimy Bill that got his hygienist pregnant after he told you he wasn't ready for kids. You've known me since before we could talk."

"Wow that's shitty. About slimy Bill, I mean," I said as I took a seat on the couch with Eric.

Amelia sat across from us on a chaise, "Yeah, well, you left him a year ago; it just took forever to finalize the divorce."

Eric cleared his throat, "Sookie had a hotel room key in her pocket and some cash. Alcide found her phone, but she didn't have anything else. Do you think she lost her purse, should we be cancelling credit cards or something?"

"Purse?" Amelia laughed, "She probably wasn't carrying one. When Sookie carries a purse it's the size of a fucking suitcase; but last night we were just going to your movie and then for drinks. We know the bartender, so she didn't need an I.D. We hardly ever pay for drinks there, so she didn't need anything else. I'm sure her purse is at the hotel."

"I'm a food writer?" I asked, going back to the list of things she told us.

"Yeah. You started writing a blog even though Bill thought writing was silly and then the Chicago Tribune offered you a job so you started doing that too. You quit your job to move up here and decided to just focus on the blog and write about restaurants around this area."

"I don't feel like I know much about food."

"You know what you like. You've won a couple of awards and you're a local favorite. You have a lot of followers on your blog."

"This is all so crazy. Why do I remember you and not me?" I asked looking at Eric.

He smiled, but didn't answer while Amelia laughed out loud. I didn't get the joke.

"Sorry," she said, "It's just that this is kind of like having a conversation with very drunk Sookie, and you don't let that happen very often."

"That's good to know," I said.

"Yeah, well, what _do_ you remember?"

"Let's see," I said, cocking my head. "Eric and I just hung out last night and I remembered little things, like, I know that there are a lot of wineries and two casinos between here and Chicago, and I wear my hair in a pony tail. I eat meat, I like Diet Coke and coffee, I know who Eric is and that about covers it."

"Well, you're right about all of those things. Seriously, that's all you remember?"

"So far. Is there anything I should know?"

"Yeah. You're allergic to strawberries and you hate coconut. Even the smell of it turns your stomach."

"Really? That's weird. I don't feel like it would bother me."

"Oh God! You know that song "_If you like pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain_?"

Eric and I were laughing and nodding. _Shit. I can remember that damn song, but not my name?_ So unfair.

"You change the words. You always sing "_If you HATE pina coladas_," it was a big joke because Lorena always ordered them, and then, well, after everything, you hated them even more."

"Who's Lorena?"

"Umm," Amelia said, glancing between Eric and me, "She's the hygienist Bill knocked up."

"Oh. Wow. Yeah, I guess I do hate pina coladas."

"Hey, don't get all twisted up. You took the high road, kicked him out on his ass and filed for divorce within the week. You're a tough cookie."

"If you say so," I said with a shrug. It sounded like my life had been pretty fucked up for the last year.

Eric had been taking everything in as we spoke. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "So now what?"

"Oh, I can just take her home and show her around," Amelia said. "I'm sure you'll remember everything when you're in familiar surroundings."

I wasn't so sure about that. There were butterflies in my stomach, and I really just wanted to hide out here until I either remembered everything or Eric forced me to leave when his rental was up.

The sliding door opened and Alcide came in, shaking his head. "Well kids, we have a problem," he said.

"We know," Eric said dryly.

"Sookie?" Alcide said, looking at me. "Yeah, well, she's double trouble. Some paparazzi got a picture of you two walking to your car. He followed you back here and knows she never left. It just hit the press in California."

"What just hit the press?" I said, feeling sick to my stomach.

"That Eric had a fling with a local."

"Shit," Eric and I said at the same time.

"Wait, it gets better. Your ex-husband identified you," Alcide said looking at me again.

"They printed her name?" Eric asked.

"Name, marital status and a picture from her wedding to the good dentist."

"Mother fucker!" Amelia said. I was thinking the exact same thing.

"Pam is fucking livid," Alcide told Eric. "The Festival people are probably pissed, because it looks like you just bailed to fuck around."

Eric ran his hand through his hair, "What the fuck Alcide?"

"They're vultures dude. What can I say?" he said, shaking his head at Eric. "We need to think fast. You can't come off like a womanizing bastard. Being single is okay, but a public one night stand is not good dude."

"Jesus," Eric said, looking at the ceiling and shaking his head. "This is ridiculous."

"How can we explain how you two met?" Alcide was thinking out loud and I was looking at Eric and Amelia, in utter confusion.

"I think I need chocolate. No, not chocolate…What do I eat when I'm feeling, out of sorts?" I said, glancing at Amelia.

"Tiramisu," she answered, smiling.

"Yeah, I think I love that stuff."

"Ha ha! You do! You've always got some in your freezer from Rose Angelis in Chicago."

"Rose Angelis?" Eric asked, looking a little pale.

"I don't know," I said.

"Yeah, you blogged that the first time you ate tiramisu at their restaurant it was so good you cried and -"

"And you bought an entire pan of it to take home," Eric finished for Amelia.

_How the Hell did he know that? _

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A/N:

Holy Shiz Batman! How does Eric know about the tiramisu! Ha ha! Send me a review and let me know if you have a guess as to how he knows she bought an entire pan...Heck, just review cuz you love me. :)

Notes:

*Thanks again to the Wondertwins Sapfirerose and A Redhead Thing. You girls make me look good!

*Rose Angelis actually exists. I haven't been there in a couple of years, but it was out of this world when I went. http:/www(dot)roseangelis(dot)com/ It's located at 1314 West Wrightwood Avenue - Chicago

*I added the Pina Colada song to the playlist if you're dying to hear it. (If you just want to google it without listening to the playlist - it's called Escape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes.)


	4. Meeting the Queen

**Title: Halo Effect  
****Chapter 4 – Meeting the Queen  
****Disclaimer: I don't own the Southern Vampires characters or stories. I just like to fool around with 'em. **

**A/N:  
**Big thanks to my wondertriplet sisters **Sapfirerose** and **A Red Head Thing** for pre-reading and reviewing. They try to act like it's a special privilege to read this before it's all cleaned up. Ha! What you read below is only so pretty cuz they told me to turn on spell check in google docs...DUH. Big Viking Cookies for you girls. *SMOOCH*

Since I was struggling with comptur virus hell last week, I wasn't able to respond to nearly as many reviews as I like to. So - here's one big thanks to you all. Reviews are the only way I get paid for this - they are like gold. Thank you whole heartedly for leaving them.

There were so many good guesses about how Eric knew about the tiramisu! These were my favorite - He was there the same night, Rose Angelis is an ex-girlfriend, he owns the restaurant, he follows her blog, he took an ex there based on Sookie's review... I loved them all! Wanna read and find out what it really was? (A lot of you were right. LOL)

_**From Chapter 3 - SPOV**_

"_I think I need chocolate. No, not chocolate…What do I eat when I'm feeling, out of sorts?" I said, glancing at Amelia. _

"_Tiramisu," she answered, smiling. _

"_Yeah, I think I love that stuff."_

"_Ha ha! You do! You've always got some in your freezer from Rose Angelis in Chicago."_

"_Rose Angelis?" Eric asked, looking a little pale. _

"_I don't know," I said._

"_Yeah, you blogged that the first time you ate tiramisu their restaurant that it was so good you cried."_

"_And you bought an entire pan of it to take home," Eric finished for Amelia. _

_How the Hell did he know that?_

000oo~oo000~000oo~oo000

**Chapter 4 - EPOV  
**_What the Hell?_ This woman, this force of nature, that seemed to drop into my life last night, was actually someone that I've _known_ _of _for several years, but I never knew _who _she was.

"You're _The Queen of All that is Delicious_."

Alcide barked with laughter and Amelia's eyes got wide. Sookie just looked at me blankly, but I knew it was her.

"Your blog. It's called _The Queen of All that is Delicious_."

"You know me?"

"Yeah, I mean, no," I fumbled. "I was in Chicago a couple of years ago for my cousins' wedding and I wanted to take my mom out for good Italian food. When I searched on the internet I found your blog about Rose Angelis. The way you described the food, I could almost taste it, and what you said about the tiramisu made it sound amazing. My mom is addicted to the stuff now. You only write about Chicago restaurants, but I read your blog at home in California sometimes because the writing is so good."

Amelia and Alcide were grinning like school kids, but I had a feeling it was for different reasons.

"Perfect!" Alcide practically shouted. "That's our story. You met online because of the blog and then you found out you'd both be here at the same time so you decided to meet in person."

It seemed harmless, if I didn't know that it was bound to spiral out of control like Hollywood bullshit always did.

"Right, okay. We have to find some things for you guys to do over the next three weeks so you can get some more publicity," Alcide said.

"What?" Sookie and I asked at the same time.

"I told you, no one night stands. They know she didn't leave last night. You're having a summer fling buddy. Good thing you two seem to get along," Alcide said as he flipped his phone open and went out on the balcony.

"What just happened?" Amelia asked with a laugh.

"That is Alcide trying to spin things," I sighed and looked at Sookie. "I told you he had no boundaries where I was concerned."

"I guess you weren't kidding."

"Shit. I'll take care of this." Sliding the door back open, I followed Alcide to the balcony. Grabbing the phone out of his hand, I closed it, ending his call.

"I was talking to Pam. We've got to get this shit figured out."

"_Sookie _is not shit. She is a wonderful woman who has gotten caught in the middle of all of this crazy ass Hollywood drama. We are going to figure out a way to handle this without making her do anything ridiculous. Let's call a doctor out here and have him look her over and we can explain what happened. I mean, we were in a cluster of photographers, I'm sure someone has a picture of her getting knocked down."

"That would have worked, if you called the doctor last night, jackass. Now it will look like we're making it the fuck up. Amnesia? I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't here with her."

"Okay, but there has to be another way. Let's just try to figure this out before we rush into some story half cocked."

"Fine. I need to call the Festival guys and figure out if they want you to make an appearance to make up for last night. Really, I need to call the producer, because he's probably pissed off. It's a good thing that none of this was in your contract; that you just chose to show up out here for vacation. Fuck. You're a piece of work right now Northman."

He walked down to the end of the balcony and started making more phone calls.

Leaning on the railing, I took a deep breath and watched the waves for a few seconds_. Unbelievable._ This bullshit was exactly what I hated about Los Angeles, what I avoided at all costs, and it had followed me here. I couldn't believe that her ex had told the press who she was. _What kind of douche was he? Shit._ I stretched and headed back into the house to talk with Sookie and Amelia.

Sliding the door closed behind me, I gave Sookie what I hoped was a kind smile. "I'm sorry. You don't deserve to be in the middle of this train wreck."

"It's okay Eric. I'll do it."

"We'll figure out what to tell people so that you don't…What?"

"I'll do it," she said again.

I looked at Amelia and she nodded too.

"What? Why would you do this for me? You don't owe me anything for last night, Sookie."

"No, I mean, I'm thankful that you took care of me, but that's not it. We talked," she said, glancing at Amelia. "And really, since I don't remember anything, this is kind of a good time for me to hang out with you. I mean, why not get to know myself at the same time as you do?"

She shrugged and smirked at me. "That is, if you're okay with people thinking we had a little summer fling. I'm not all that glamorous."

_If I was okay with it? Holy fuck_. "Sookie, are you sure?"

"Since my divorce is final it doesn't matter what I do," she grinned.

I hadn't done anything but touch her shoulder since Alcide and Amelia had arrived, but I remembered the way my heart slammed in my chest when I saw her get knocked to the sidewalk, how comfortable we were last night, and the feel of her in my arms when I woke up. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my vacation.

"I would love to have a summer fling with you," I said laughing.

"This is so cool!" Amelia squealed. "It's like a Lifetime movie! Okay, why don't you come to dinner at my place tonight? I can take Sook home and see if she remembers anything, our houses are next door to each other. You can meet us later. "

"You're my neighbor?"

"Oh, jeez!" Amelia laughed. "I'm going to start making stuff up to fuck with you. Sorry, this is kind of weird. Yes, I'm your neighbor."

At first I was a little pissed at Amelia's joke and I almost said something, but Sookie giggled. It was a sound I would have paid money to hear.

"Dinner sounds good. Do me a favor though and lay low today. Let me figure out what we should do about all of this and we'll talk tonight."

"Sure. Who am I going to tell? I don't remember anyone else."

"You will," I said, putting my hand on hers. I stood, pulling her up beside me, our sides brushing, and we gazed at each other. I had no idea what was going on between us, but I was certainly looking forward to finding out.

Amelia snorted, startling us. "I think this plan is going to work quite well," she laughed. "Sook, let's head out. I think Hoyt is almost finished at your place, so we can get your bags from the hotel. It's probably better that you stay at the house instead of the hotel since it's more familiar."

Amelia dug a pen and paper out of her purse, jotting down her address and Sookie's cell phone number, since clearly Sookie didn't remember it.

"What time tonight?"

"Come by around six and we'll throw the steaks on. We'll go raid Sook's freezer now and get out the tiramisu." She laughed again, she was really enjoying this, grabbed her purse and headed to the door.

Sookie looked like she was about to have a panic attack, so I took her hand.

"Are you okay?"

She shook her head yes, but it wasn't convincing.

"It's alright. I'll be over in a few hours to join you. This is good. Going home might help you remember things."

Her eyes darted to Amelia by the door and then back to me. She started to say something and then stopped.

"What Sookie?"

She bit her lip and looked up at me with those amazing eyes. "I know this sounds crazy, but can I have your phone number? You know what to say when I start to freak out, and I'm afraid I'm going to need you, I mean, it."

Smirking, I took the phone out of her nervous hands and saved my number in the address book.

"Come here," I said, pulling her into my arms. "Call me if you need me. I may have to go up to the Festival for a while or go for a run, but I'll be around."

She gave me a squeeze and stepped back. "Thanks. I'll see you later."

**SPOV  
**Amelia and I walked across the bridge to Eric's driveway. I was so mixed up. I had no idea who the fuck I was. I mean, apparently, I'm Sookie Stackhouse, but that doesn't mean anything to me. I'm divorced from a cheating dentist and I just spent the night with Eric Northman, which is being spread through the tabloids as we speak.

Climbing into the car, I exhaled loudly and put my head back on the seat.

"What?"

"Let's start with what the hell kind of name is Sookie?"

When she finished laughing hysterically, Amelia told me that it was a family name.

"Bill wanted you to change it to Susannah legally though, that's what he wanted to call you."

"He wanted me to change my name? I didn't agree to that did I?" She shook her head no while she laughed. "Where did I meet him anyway?"

"You lived in the same building during your senior year at Northwestern." We pulled onto the main road, Eric's house disappearing behind us.

"He sounds like a complete ass."

"He pretty much is. I just put up with him for you."

I was getting frustrated as we drove into town. Why did I recognize local restaurants and stores when I couldn't remember anything about myself? We stopped by a hotel and Amelia ran in, coming out with a large dufflebag and a leather hobo style purse. That must have been what she meant when she said I had a purse the size of a suitcase. It was huge. _What the hell did I carry around in there? _She threw the bags in the trunk and got back in the car.

"Ready?" she asked.

Nodding, I read the street signs as she drove through the tourist crowded streets. We came around a corner a few minutes later and Amelia pulled into the driveway of a little bungalow.

"This is it. It's been in your family for three generations. Does it look familiar?"

"Umm…maybe?" It did look familiar, but I would have never guessed that it was mine.

"You've been having Hoyt Fortenberry work on winterizing it. You know, new windows, adding insulation and giving the fireplace an overhaul since it hadn't been used in years."

"Fireplaces are cool." We were still sitting in the car looking at the house. It was light blue with white trim and had some cute flower pots on either side of the stairs.

Amelia looked over at me, "Are we going in?"

"I guess we should. The keys are probably in my purse."

"Probably, but it would take an act of God to find them in there. I know where the hide-a-key is."

"I have a hide-a-key? Is that safe?"

"Oh man, you are too much. Yes. It's safe," she said shaking her head. "I need to talk to Tray before you see him. He's going to have a field day with you."

"I'm glad I'm entertaining."

We walked over to the side of the house and Amelia picked up a statue of a fairy next to a blooming Dahlia plant. She slid open a secret compartment, withdrew a key, and led me around the front of the house. Unlocking the door, she held it open so I could go in first. I think she was afraid that I'd run away if she went in before me.

Coming through the door, I looked around at a cozy living room. There was a comfy couch and side chair with a couple of blankets, and pictures, lots of pictures on every surface. I walked to the fireplace, taking a frame off the mantle.

"Who is this?" I said, holding the frame towards Amelia.

"Oh," she laughed. "That's your Gran. She lived here every summer of her life."

"She did? She looks familiar, but like someone else's grandmother."

"She was yours. And you are a lot like her." She pointed out some of the photos to me. "That's you and your brother Jason. You already put away the pictures of Bill. Oh! Here's us with Felicia and Ginger. They own the hotel you were staying at."

We looked really happy, and maybe a little drunk judging by the martini glasses in our hands. We were sitting outside at a bar or restaurant and grinning from ear to ear. I really wanted to remember them. I had the same feeling as when I looked at the picture of Gran, that I should know everyone, but they weren't _my _people.

Amelia gave me a little space and wandered towards the kitchen. I heard her rifling around in the freezer, probably getting out the tiramisu.

Eventually, I wandered into the hallway, noting two bedrooms and a large bathroom. Pushing open a door I saw some suitcases on the floor and a dufflebag on the bed. This must be my room. I opened the dufflebag and looked at some of my clothes. I seemed to have good taste. I flipped through the closet; it was filled with more clothes that looked like they would fit me. Sighing, I walked to the dresser and opened a jewelry box containing a couple of necklaces and rings that I didn't recognize.

"That was your Gran's," Amelia said from the doorway.

"Did she leave it to me, or did no one want it?"

"When she died, she left the house to you and your brother, but he let you buy him out as long as you'd let him come up a couple of times a year. He didn't want your Gran's jewelry, and really Sook, besides Bill, Jay is the only family you have."

"Oh."

"But you've got me, Ginger and Felicia from the hotel, and a couple of other close friends. Now it seems you have Eric Northman, which we still need to talk about."

"I don't know what to tell you," I said sitting on the bed. "He was so nice to me and I feel really comfortable when I'm with him. Like right now, with you, I'm okay, but I'm looking around and I feel like I'm lost. I should recognize this stuff. I should know what's in my refrigerator, but I can't remember any of it. When I was with him last night I could turn off all of the questions. We talked for hours. It was easy to relax."

"And then you made out like rabbits?" Amelia asked with a grin.

"No. Then we went to bed, separately."

"And…"

Laughing, I told her the rest of it, well, most of it. "And I couldn't relax so I asked him to let me sleep with him. He said okay, but all we did was sleep." _And hold hands and spoon_.

"Great green houses of the Holy guacamole! You slept with him?"

"Yes, slept."

"I am so glad you're my best friend!"

I giggled. Suddenly, I knew she was my best friend too. I waited for something more, like memories in addition to the knowledge of our friendship to come back, but there was nothing. My eyes got teary, but I tried to smile at her anyway, it was bittersweet.

She smiled back and glanced at her watch. "Alright, I need to give Tray a list of things to grab at the store, so we should head to my place, unless you want to stay here for a bit."

"I think I'd like to come with you. Is there anything I should bring?"

"Just the dessert, but we'll grab that on the way out."

Following her to the kitchen, the cell phone in my pocket startled me and began playing _Defying Gravity_ from _Wicked._ _Should I answer it? Shit_. I pulled the phone out, glancing at the caller I.D. and looked at Amelia, "Who's Lafayette?"

"Oh shit. Don't answer that. Let him leave a voice mail. Lafayette is a good friend. He used to be your hair dresser but he moved to California and is doing hair and make-up for some sit com. He probably saw the pictures of you with Eric."

My phone made a different chirping sound, and a light blinked, alerting me to a voice mail. "I don't know the code," I muttered.

"It's the first four digits of Jean Valjeans's prisoner number."

"What? I use someone's prisoner number for my pin? Who do I know in prison?"

"Jean Valjean, from '_Les Miserables_,' you know…" She groaned. Then she sang the numbers, "Two, four, six, oh, one."

"I'll take your word for it," I mumbled, and entered the numbers into my phone, and damn if it didn't work. It occurred to me that I must like musicals, my pin and ring tone were both show-tunes and then the automated voice distracted me, saying that I had "One new message." I pressed the speaker button and the #1 key to listen.

"Sooks. You need to call my ass back. Why are there pictures of you getting into a motherfucking little red Corvette with Eric Northman? And how in God's name do these animals have your name already? But most importantly bitch, you need a fucking haircut. Call me."

There were a couple of "kiss kiss" sounds and then the system asked me to save or delete. I decided to save. Like Amelia, Lafayette seemed comfortable saying just about anything to me. We must be really good friends.

"We really need to go online and check out those pictures. He could be trouble," Amelia sighed.

"What?" Who could be trouble? Eric? Lafayette? I wished I knew what the hell was going on.

"Let's just hope that we experience a miracle and Lafayette keeps his damn mouth shut. He'll be talking to reporters to make a buck in about ten minutes."

"Should I call Eric?"

"No," she sighed. "Give me the phone; I'll call Cali-boy."

She hit redial and started talking with Lafayette, explaining that I had forgotten my phone at her place yesterday. She stuck to the bare bones story that we had come up with earlier, saying that Eric and I met through my blog. She worked pretty hard convincing him, saying that I hadn't even told her about it until yesterday because Eric didn't want anyone to gossip, he's so private you know. She asked him for privacy, for my sake, never really mentioning Eric's wishes and somehow, she never confirmed if it was anything more than a friendship. I swear, the woman should go into politics. Ending the call, she told him that she would have me call him when I picked up my phone.

"That was amazing."

"Well, you better get used to it and practice saying it yourself or you and lover boy are going to spend the next couple of weeks locked in his fabulous beach house. Wait, on second thought, don't even try to say this shit, lock yourself in with him and give me details next month," she said with a grin.

"It's not like that Amelia."

"Oh, hell. It might not have been like that last night, but it's going to be like that soon. I'm betting by the end of the week."

"You're betting on us?"

She winked at me. "I only bet on sure things."

000oo~oo000~000oo~oo000

**A/N:  
**Oh my stars and stripes! Amelia has high hopes for them! LOL  
And can I say, awwwwww. She got Eric's phone number, in case she needed him, I mean, it.  
EPOV up next ya'll! What do you think he's thinking about all of this? Thanks for reading, slip me some review lovin if you are so inclined.

OH - So I noticed that the first chapters were entirely in one POV and this one switched. I hope you don't mind. I can't gaurantee how the rest of the chapters will be...It just depends on where the scenes break and how much E/S are talking to me a the time. *shrugs*

(If you read LOF you read the note below yesterday. If not, read on...)  
There has been some drama going on behind the scenes in the SVM fandom. All I can say is that you should review the stories you love and continue to support your favorite authors. Some writers may be moving to different fic sites and things may get a little crazy. There is a new Sookieverse Blog trying to keep track of where authors are headed (most are just adding a secondary site at this point). http:/thesookieverse(dot)blogspot(dot)com/ And who knows, this may all blow over.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I will be posting stories here and at The Writers Coffee Shop. I have the same pen-name there. http:/www(dot)twcslibrary(dot)com I think you have to register to read stories, and I know you have to register at the forum and library separately.

I think in the long run, most or your favorite SVM authors will find a place together to host stories, IF they leave . Hang on kiddies - it may be a bumpy ride.


	5. The Boy Scout

**Title: Halo Effect  
Chapter 5 -The Boy Scout  
Disclaimer: I don't own the Southern Vampires characters or stories. I just like to make them do crazy sh*t. All copyright belongs to Charlaine Harris.**

**A/N: **Thanks again to my girly girls for beta-ing. **Sapfirerose** and **A Redhead Thing** are the best! If you find any mistakes here, they are most certainly mine. **Red** has a story on FFnet called I'm on Fire - you should check it out. **Sapfirerose** has become obsessed with banner making and now has a new blog that, among other things, has a nightly post listing the fics that update each day. If you read a lot of stories it's a great thing, because FF fails at sending out alerts almost daily. :) http:/mysvmaddiction(dot)blogspot(dot)com/?zx=1b2cbf92cf0194cc

00oo00oo00oo00

**EPOV**  
I actually felt a little sad watching Sookie and Amelia walk across the bridge. _What the hell was wrong with me? Shit._ This whole thing was crazy. What were the odds, really? First, that I would come here, to the town she had moved to, and second that she would come out of that alley at the same time I was being stalked by paparazzi? I had been following her blog, but never even considered the woman that wrote it. I mean, in my head _The Queen of All That is Delicious_ had been a fat old woman, and Sookie was far from that. She was beautiful, kind, funny, and oh yeah, she had amnesia.

I went out to the balcony to see what fuckery Alcide and Pam had worked out in order to spin things. Cide had his back to me and was still on the phone. He didn't hear me come outside and continued bitching about me to Pam I assumed. Alcide was my assistant, but when I traveled he filled in on some of Pam's publicist duties, doing exactly as she directed him.

"How was I supposed to know she lost her fucking memory? Leave it the Boy Scout to bring her home with him... No, she's nice. It'll be fine... Well, she's not a model, but people could understand why he might like her, because she's kind of all American or whatever...I don't know Pam. I think he actually fucking likes her...Yeah. I'll tell him to call you."

He turned around and practically jumped over the railing when he saw me behind him. "Jesus, Eric. You scared the shit out of me."

"Oh good, you know my name. I was afraid you thought it was Boy Scout."

"Fuck. You know what I mean. You're always being all nice and shit."

I raised my eyebrow.

"Most Hollywood types would have just called an ambulance and walked away. You fucking brought her home!"

"I am not a Hollywood type and I brought her home because I didn't know what else to do with her."

"Um. The hospital? Ever hear of it?"

"Yes, jackass. She didn't want to go." I ran my hand over my face. It sounded ridiculous. I should have taken her to the hospital and I knew it. But there was no going back, certainly not now that there were pictures of us together out there for everyone to see. Which reminded me; "I need to see the pictures. Are they online?"

"Of course. Pam sent me the link. I'll go fire up the laptop so you can see them."

He went inside and I stood looking out at the beach. I couldn't imagine what was so bad about the pictures. I mean, I'm a single guy and I brought an attractive woman home with me. We'd established that Sookie wasn't going to say anything horrible about me and that she would play along so that I didn't look like a womanizing man whore. What was the big deal?

I watched the waves coming into the shore. I wanted to pretend that I didn't have feelings for Sookie, but that was a joke. When I saw her in my doorway last night my heart almost stopped. And this morning, Christ, I woke up draped around her like a second skin. It took every ounce of will power I had not to kiss her. Then before she left, Sookie had to go and ask for my phone number in case she needed me. _Shit._ When she said that I almost pulled her into my arms and told her to forget it, that I wasn't letting her go anywhere without me. I exhaled, putting my head on the railing. _What the fuck had I gotten myself into?_

Heading into the house, I took off my shirt, putting it on the back of the chair, and grabbed some socks from the laundry room before pulling on my running shoes.

"Dude, I've got the pictures loaded if you want to see them."

"Just leave the page up, Alcide. You can take off. I'm going for a run."

"Ah, okay. So, you're going to call Pam and get the scoop later?"

"You mean to find out what kind of bullshit you two are going to spread about my life?"

"Eric. You know how this business works man."

I sighed. This wasn't his fault. "I know. I'm sorry. I just really don't like it today."

"Yeah. I understand."

"I'm going to dinner at Amelia's tonight with Sookie. You should probably call Pam and let her know." I grabbed my car keys off the counter and held them towards Alcide. "Take the Vette and leave me your keys. I'm not driving it while I'm here, it's ridiculous."

"They could still be sitting out there waiting and follow you in whatever you're driving."

"I know, but that damn car makes it impossible to blend in. Just take it. Whatever. I'm going for a run."

"Later," he called after me and unfortunately, I knew that I would have to talk to him during my vacation. I had planned to ignore both him and Pam but that was no longer an option.

Running down the beach I passed everything from families setting up for the day, college students slathering on lotion as they popped open beers, and an elderly couple walking the shore in pants and long sleeves to shield themselves from the sun. I loved the mix of people here, but it was nowhere as extreme as the people you saw at the beach in California. There were no rollerbladers or street performers, just average Midwesterners enjoying their short summer.

When I made it back to the house I caught sight of a photographer that thought he was well hidden in the tall grass. I wanted to stop and yell, "Hey asshole, I can totally see you," but that would have given him what he wanted, a prime photo opportunity, so instead I headed inside to do my cool down. I would have loved to finish up outside in the sunlight, but I wasn't giving the fucker any ass shots while I stretched my legs.

Finishing my stretches, I ran upstairs and took a quick shower. I felt refreshed and headed to the living room to check my voice mail and finally look at the fateful pictures that had everyone so stirred up. Grabbing my cell phone, I saw that I had two messages and four missed calls. According to the call log there had actually only been one caller: Pam. I was a little disappointed that Sookie hadn't called, which was crazy, but it also meant that she was okay, so I couldn't be too upset. I moved my finger over the mouse touchpad on my laptop to refresh the screen and called my voicemail.

Pam's voice came through the phone like nails on a chalkboard, I hated it when she was mad. We had been working together for a few years and we got along fairly well, but when she was pissed, she was a crazy bitch.

"You're avoiding me. You should have answered the phone because now I'm upset. I am trying to do what's in your best fucking interest out here drama queen. I can't believe you took some girl back to your house. What are you? A horny college student? I'm putting out fires all over Hollywood because of your little indiscretion and you can't answer your fucking phone? Nice, Northman. Call me."

Whey did she work for me again? Because she was the best. And because on a good day, we actually got along well. _Fuck_. I deleted it and prepared for the next, even more pissed off, message from Pam.

"So apparently we're going with the old, 'They met online' story. It's almost stupid enough for the public to believe. Luckily, you are a complete tool and there is documentation that you've been to this foodie blog. Seriously, you sit around on the internet surfing a food blog? That is so, just, not sexy. I can't believe I have to publicize that." She sighed, gathering steam to continue. "I'm making plans for you to take her on some romantic day trips while you're there. If you can call anything in that god forsaken redneck land romantic. Alcide said it took thirty minutes to get to a Starbucks. I had no idea places like that existed, except in mother fucking North Dakota. I understand you are going to dinner with this, "Sookie," and her friends tonight, that's fine, it fits with the story. You should take her to breakfast in the morning and let them take your picture so it doesn't seem like you're trying to hide anything, but don't speak to them. Be sure your friend can say, "No Comment." We have other details to discuss. Call me when you get this message, or I _will_ call you multiple times until we speak. That's all."

Deleting the message with a stab of my finger, I realized that there was a growling sound coming from the back of my throat. Damn she pissed me off. She seemed to think that I needed her approval for my dinner plans and she was dead wrong on that. But the comment about breakfast floored me. She clearly thought I was planning to spend the night with Sookie and she wanted me to flaunt it. Fuck you Pam, my sex life is really none of your business. _Oh shit. How did I make that jump in thoughts?_ I was so screwed.

_Internet Explorer_ had opened to the webpage for _OK!_ Magazine and there we was a spread of pictures showing Sookie and me together. In the first shots, we were walking towards my car and then there was one showing my hand on Sookie's back as I opened the door for her. There was a close-up of her face looking up at me before closing the door and one of me as I walked to my side of the car. Finally, there was a picture of Sookie alone, and it was obviously from her wedding day. She was breathtaking. I could hardly pull my eyes away from that picture.

Cursing, I was angry at myself because I should have known that this would happen. I had seen the photographers coming down the street behind us, but I thought that we had gotten in the car before they spotted us. I hated having my personal life dissected and plastered on the front page.

Reading the text of the article, I ground my teeth. The author claimed that I had skipped out on the screening _Crescendo_, my film at the festival, to spend time with a woman who spent the night with me. They stated that she had been identified by her ex-husband, William Compton, DDS., as Sookie Stackhouse, a food writer from Chicago. _Jesus Bill, why don't you just take out an ad for your dental clinic while you're feeding Sookie to the wolves?_ Bill made it clear that their divorce had just become final, but he neglected to mention his girlfriend and their new baby. _Douche._ The author then went into detail about _Crescendo_, giving it's release date in theaters around the country, and then listing some details about the Waterfront Film Festival.

I examined the picture of her smiling up at me again. The image captured her face before we realized she didn't have her memory. She looked trusting and sweet. It did look like we were on a date, but I didn't see what was wrong with that. _Shit_, I was making excuses. I knew that wasn't the issue. I could go on dates, I just couldn't look like I spent my nights with random women, and I didn't want anyone to think that about Sookie. I exhaled, leaning back on the couch. I really hoped she was getting her memory back, or that she needed me to reassure her if she didn't. _Fuck, that was all kinds of twisted_.

My phone rang and I was hopeful until I saw that it was Alcide's number. I answered and he told me that he had spoken with Pam. He gave a long explanation about how the producers of my film and the festival people weren't upset at me at all. The producers and the film festival would not have received nearly as much press in Los Angeles today if Sookie and I hadn't been photographed together, so they didn't care. In fact, the producers were thanking Alcide and couldn't wait to work with me again. Hollywood. One man's scandal was another man's cash cow.

I still had a couple of hours before I needed to head over to Amelia's, so I dug out a stack of scripts that I had brought along to review. Some were easy to discard after only a few pages. I had no desire to play a futuristic, half robot superhero. Other scripts needed to be read more thoroughly, so I set them aside. I wouldn't mind playing a cowboy again and the human sexuality professor role looked interesting.

Pam called again, telling me that she had made some reservations for Sookie and I near Traverse City and she had a couple of other outings that she wanted to suggest for our summer fling. I informed her in no uncertain terms that Sookie and I would be choosing our own excursions and making it clear that her Christmas bonus would be in jeopardy if the paparazzi was tipped off to Sookie and my activities. Before I knew it the afternoon had passed, and I needed to change clothes for dinner.

Putting the address into the GPS in Alcide's, now my, rented Jeep, I followed the turn by turn directions into town. I didn't see anyone following me, but I wouldn't really know if I'd been spotted until the papers came out or Pam was called for an official comment.

Amelia's house was only a few blocks from the main shopping district, as I pulled in, I saw a Camry parked next door with Illinois plates and knew that it was Sookies' house. I wondered for a second if I should have parked over there.

Climbing the stairs, I could hear activity in the house coming through the screen door. Sookie was laughing and a man was saying something about never liking dentists anyway. I assumed he was talking about her ex-husband and smiled. I knocked and was greeted by a large man with shaggy dark hair.

"Mr. Northman. I'm Tray Dawson. Come on in."

"Thanks. And it's Eric, please."

Nodding, he led me into the kitchen where the ladies were putting the finishing touches on a garden salad and drinking margaritas. I was pleasantly surprised when Sookie came over to give me a hug. Amelia giggled at us over her shoulder and Tray looked a little shocked. Well, at least we're all on the same page: this was both nice and weird all at the same time.

I returned her squeeze. "Hi. Did you have a good day? Remember anything else?"

She sighed. "It was okay. I remembered a couple of things."

"You did? That's great! What do you remember?"

"Come on, let's go sit outside and I'll tell you."

Tray held out a beer, which I gladly accepted and followed Sookie outside to a fenced-in back yard. We sat at a wrought iron table and Tray put some steaks on the grill while Amelia finished up in the kitchen.

"So, we wandered through my house today, and I looked at a lot of pictures. Some of them look familiar, but more like I've seen the people before, than like they're my friends or family."

"That's a start."

"Yeah." She chuckled.

"Eventually my cell phone started ringing like crazy. The first call was from my friend Lafayette, who we need to come back to because he lives in L.A. Then my brother, the editor from the Tribune, my old landlord and my former yoga instructor all called to comment on the pictures of us. Oh, and Bill called, I lost track of how many times, he never left a message."

"Oh shit. I'm sorry." I was spending a lot of time apologizing to her. There probably isn't any way to make up for being the reason someone has lost their memory and been sucked into Hollywood subterfuge, but I was trying.

"Well, the only one who was actually upset about it was my brother. Otherwise it was a lot of 'congratulations' and 'why didn't you tell me you knew him?' comments. I didn't actually talk to any of them, I just let the calls go to voicemail. I made Amelia listen to help me figure out who they all were."

"So one of their messages triggered some memories?"

Her eyes looked a little sad, but she smiled. "No. It was actually the pictures. I looked at them online."

I waited. What in the pictures of us had triggered her memory? And then I knew.

"Oh Sookie. I'm sorry."

"Yeah." Her eyes welled a little. "Did you see? I was a really beautiful bride. Amelia says I gave the dress to charity."

"I'm so sorry that's what you remembered. I'm sure it was a great day, but now, knowing about Bill..." I trailed off.

She shook her head and wiped her eyes. "It's okay. I mean, I remembered Bill and our wedding and then I was so mad that he gave that reporter my name that I recalled some of our fights too."

"Did you remember anything else? Or did anything feel familiar?"

"I think I kind of remember my Gran. I didn't at first. Amelia had to tell me who she was in the pictures. But later I found some stuff in the medicine cabinet and I just knew it was hers. Oh, and I remembered I hate celery. Amelia asked me to cut some up for the salad and I automatically launched into a speech about how it was evil and disgusting. She and Tray died laughing, because she knows how much I hate it and was just testing me."

"Well, then we'll just have to keep trying new things and you'll remember what you like and what you don't like. We have a couple of weeks to get to know each other."

The corner of her mouth rose creating a little dimple, and I cursed the Gods when Tray's voice interrupted making me break eye contact with her.

"How do you like your steak, Eric?" Amelia was coming down the stairs with a stack of plates and Sookie stood to help her set the table.

"Medium-rare," I answered Tray and went to stand with him near the grill. We made manly small talk, discussing the merits of gas versus charcoal grills, while the steaks finished and the girls brought out the rest of the food.

We ate and continued to talk about everything except the bizarreness that had brought us together. Sookie laughed and even remembered some things about a girls trip to Cancun she and Amelia had taken with Felicia and Ginger. They were all considerate and tried to keep me involved, but I was really just enjoying their interactions. I had to admit that I was sad that I didn't have very many friends that I could hang out with like this anymore. Hell, I didn't usually have time to hang out like this anymore.

Amelia served Sookie's tiramisu for dessert. We toasted to Rose Angelis, along with Sookie's blog, laughing about the way we found each other.

The silky dessert was as good as I remembered, even though it came out of the freezer.

"My mom would be so jealous," I said between decadent bites. We all laughed and had second helpings before Sookie declared she wouldn't let us eat all of her emergency stash.

The ladies cleared the table when we were finished while Tray made another batch of margaritas. We all regrouped at the table and for the first time, there was an uncomfortable silence. I knew it was time for me to lay the plan out, it wasn't much, and I was a little nervous about their reaction.

"So, let me tell you what my publicist came up with, and you tell me what you think." I looked around the table, it was clear that this was a team Sookie meeting, not a team save Eric's ass meeting, and I needed everyone's approval.

"I'll be here another three weeks. The idea is that Sookie and I will spend time together here in Saugatuck and take some day trips near by. We won't have any kind of staged photos or anything, if the paparazzi see us, then they can snap a picture. In a couple of days Pam will issue a statement that Sookie and I met because of the blog and that we're dating. Pam doesn't think it's wise to mention the amnesia, and I'd have to agree. That wouldn't look good for either of us. So, on top of all of that, we'll spend time with you guys to help Sookie get her memory back."

"Wow. You thought that out." Sookie looked a little stunned.

"I had to scale back Pam's original plan for a completely orchestrated public courtship. What do you think?" Amelia looked like she wanted to say something, but I needed to hear Sookie's reaction.

"It sounds good. I mean, I think we'll have fun."

"Sookie. We don't have to do this. As a matter of fact, I kind of expect you to tell me this is ridiculous, and have Amelia take you to the hospital." Fingers crossed behind my back.

Everyone laughed at that, but Amelia chimed in, "He's right Sook. We can head to the hospital or whatever you want."

Sookie shook her head. "No, things are coming back to me. I'll be fine." She gave me a shy look, "I'd really like to spend the next couple of weeks with you."

And I with you. "Great."

Tray cleared his throat. "It's getting dark and the mosquitoes are going to come out. We ah, have some home movies of Sookie, if you want to check them out."

"Oh, that's embarrassing." Sookie looked nervous.

"Bah! We're in them too!" Amelia laughed.

We headed inside to camp out in front of the television, laughing and watching home videos for a couple of hours. Sookie remembered a few things, but only when they came on the screen. Nothing seemed to come to her without prompting. Eventually, she began to yawn and I knew that it was time to break up our little party. I had no idea how the evening would end between Sookie and I.

"Do you want me to walk you home?"

"Mm hm. Yeah, I should get some sleep. Tomorrow's another day of figuring out who I am."

Everyone chuckled, but I had a feeling it was starting to weigh her down. We made plans for the four of us to go down to the film festival the next night, then Sookie and I said goodnight and walked arm-in-arm over to her house. I didn't know if this was the end of the evening for us, but I won't lie, I checked to make sure my Jeep was parked so that Tray and Amelia's cars could get out in the morning.

She unlocked the door and turned to me. "Do you want to come in for a bit?"

I leaned on the door frame and looked at her, silhouetted by the porch light. "That sounds great."

She turned on a light and we went into the living room. "I would tell you about the pictures and stuff, but I don't remember most of them. Here's my Gran though." She handed me a picture of a woman with long silver hair and a bright smile.

We sat on opposite ends of the couch, and it actually felt a little tense. "I can go, if you want to go to bed or something."

She looked away, and I thought I saw a tear. Oh, hell, I should have just gone home and called her in the morning. This was all too much for her.

Her eyes came back up to mine, and I was right, they were full of tears. "That's just it. I don't want to go to sleep. I don't want to be here alone." Her breath hitched. "I've remembered some things, but I don't feel like this is my house. God. I'm being a baby."

That was it. I gave up.

"Come here." I pulled her into my arms. "I'll stay here or you can come home with me. You don't have to be alone."

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"You and I have been thrown together into a crazy situation. We need to stick together. I'm here for you. Whatever you need." I was rubbing circles on her back and breathing in the sweet scent of her hair, she smelled fucking delicious.

She sat back a little and put her hand on my cheek. I felt a jolt of electricity as our eyes met.

"Thank you."

_Oh, no, thank you. I needed to pull it together. _

She took her hand away from my face and briefly looked around the room. "We should probably stay here. I mean, I guess I should get used to it."

"Whatever you want," I said quietly.

I wanted to ravage her, but I didn't think that was what she had in mind. Every moment I spent with her made me fall just a little bit harder for her. I hoped to god that as she gained her memory she didn't pull away from me.

0oo000oo00ooo00oo00oo000o00

**A/N:**  
*Bites nails* I hope you're still loving this Eric. I think he is just freakin' swoon worthy. So...what do you think tomorrow holds for them? What else will she remember? Several of you live in the area or have vacationed in Saugatuck - do you have any places they MUST go? Read my little ramble below and then click the green button (green is my favorite color by the way) to let me know what you think! I love to hear your reactions every chapter!

**Shout outs** - Pixiegiggles originated the idea of the Eric ass shot. You should read her story The FStop. Also - Eric as the human sexuality professor is Seastarr08's character from The Amateur and The Expert. Go read them. :)

Okay, I am a music junky with eclecic tastes. I've seen the Dead, Jimmy Buffet, Aerosmith, U2 and Toby Keith all multiple times if that tells you how weird I am. Below are the lyrics to the Jimmy Buffet song _Pacing the Cage_ that makes me think of the Eric in this story. (_Pacing the Cage_ is on the playlist.) Now - before you get all, "God, I hate that drunken Margaritaville guy," on me, I need you to give it a chance. I love JB, I try see him every summer. He is so much more than just Margaritaville. I cannot talk about the epic FAIL that is ticketmaster and how I don't have tickets this year. I'll get all worked up. Sorry. This song is a ballad and it get's me every time. I absolutely love the first four lines. Amazing. But the second and third verses are what remind me of E. I can only imagine what people in the public eye feel like, but it has to be frustrating, irritating and claustrophobic at some points and that's what I get from those verses. If you're still reading, I think the last verse ties back to this story as a whole - finding your way. Alright, enough philosophy and music class. Thanks for letting me ramble.

**Pacing the Cage  
**From Album Beach House on the Moon  
By: Bruce Cockburn

Sunset is an angel weeping  
Holding out a bloody sword  
No matter how I squint I cannot  
Make out what it's pointing toward  
Sometimes you feel like you've lived too long  
Days drip slowly on the page  
And you catch yourself  
Pacing the cage

**I've proven who I am so many times**  
**The magnetic strip's worn thin**  
**And each time I was someone else**  
**And everyone was taken in**  
**Powers chatter in high places**  
**Stir up eddies in the dust of rage**  
**Set me to pacing the cage**

**I never knew what you all wanted**  
**So I gave you everything**  
**All that I could pillage**  
**All the spells that I could sing**  
**It's as if the thing were written**  
**In the constitution of the age**  
**Sooner or later you'll wind up**  
**Pacing the cage**

Sometimes the best map will not guide you  
You can't see what's round the bend  
Sometimes the road leads through dark places  
Sometimes the darkness is your friend  
Today these eyes scan bleached-out land  
For the coming of the outbound stage  
Pacing the cage

Pacing the cage

Source:  
http:/www(dot)kovideo(dot)net/pacing-the-cage-lyrics-jimmy-buffett-432892(dot)html


	6. Beach Blanket Bingo

**Title: Halo Effect  
Chapter 6 - Beach Blanket Bingo  
Disclaimer: I don't own the Southern Vampires characters or stories. I just like to make them do crazy sh*t. All copyright belongs to Charlaine Harris.**

**A/N:**  
Lots of love to **A Redhead Thing **and **Sapfirerose**, my Wonder Triplets. You girls...I love your bullet pointing, plaid wearing, green pen waving, and banner making hearts to death.

So...we left our favorite couple snuggled in her bed for the second night of their fling...just imagine the day ahead! (Not that, they just met! Give them another day or two, sheesh!)

**000ooo000ooo000**

**SPOV **  
I woke up like I had the day before, with a warm body, in nothing but boxer briefs, spooning around me. My memories still weren't back, and I wanted to lay there as long as I could. I must have sighed because Eric squeezed me saying, "Good morning."

"Morning." I didn't make a move to leave his embrace. I don't know a woman that would have. After lying there for a few minutes, he pulled lightly on my arm and I rolled to face him.

"Did you sleep alright?"

"I did. Thank you for staying. I hope you weren't too uncomfortable."

We were so close together it should not have been comfortable. Especially not for two people who barely knew each other. It was the way a couple lay together when they were more completely intimate with each other. I was a little shocked to realize that he was at ease as well.

The clock said 8:30, and I desperately wanted coffee, but it would have meant getting out of bed with him. I wasn't budging until he did, so I came up with small talk. "What are we going to do today?"

"I didn't have anything particular in mind. You?"

"Nope."

"Why don't we pack you a bag and hang out at the beach in front of my house? Based on your tan, I'm guessing you like the sun. Then we can meet up with Tray and Amelia later."

He was right. I knew he was, and not just because I was tan. I knew that I liked going to the beach. I grinned, "That sounds great."

"Really?"

I smiled and nodded. I was giddy about remembering another little detail, and then he kissed me on the forehead. My breath caught and I blinked several times in surprise.

"Oh shit. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. It just. I'll get up." He started to move away and I grabbed his arm, stilling him.

"No. Stay."

Hey lay back down, and I twined our fingers together.

"I'm sorry Sookie. I feel like I've known you forever."

I snorted. That was ironic. He smirked, understanding. "It's okay. I kind of feel the same way about you, just not about me." I didn't want him to feel strange. I wanted to move on with our day. "Let's make some coffee and I'll get ready."

Heading into the kitchen, I opened the freezer, pulling out coffee beans, grabbed a coffee filter out of the cabinet and set them on the counter near the been grinder and Mr. Coffee. I turned to Eric, intending to ask him to make the coffee while I showered and found him shaking his head.

"What? Oh shit! How the hell did I do that?"

"I have no idea Sookie, but it's good. We'll just keep doing things, and it will all come back to you."

Frustrated, I sighed. "I'm going to grab a shower, will you make coffee?"

"Yep." He squeezed my shoulder on the way to the counter. Picking up the bag of beans, I heard the familiar dinging sound of them being poured into the top of the bean grinder as I went into the bathroom.

I showered and went into my room to find a bathing suit and some things to take to the beach. I soon realized that the question was not, did I have a bathing suit, but which one to wear? Apparently I was a big fan of bikini's. There must have been ten of them in a drawer. I just kept pulling them out, trying to find the one with the most coverage. I finally decided on a nice black suit with pink polka dots because it had a matching sarong.

Dressing in some shorts and a Northwestern t-shirt, I packed a change of clothes along with a towel, sunscreen and a little travel kit I had found already packed with my shampoo/conditioner and cosmetics. I dug around in my purse, finding my wallet, iPod, keys and a half read book that I figured I'd need to start over and threw them all in the bag as well. I grabbed my phone and sunglasses off the dresser on my way past.

I dropped my bag in the living room and joined Eric at the kitchen table. He was sipping coffee and eating a bagel. "Oh, good. You found something to eat."

"I hope you don't mind that I rummaged around a bit. I toasted you a bagel as well. There's butter and peanut butter."

"No, that's fine. I don't mind." I poured some coffee and put butter on my bagel and sat down across from him. "Let me drink a cup of coffee, and I'll be ready. The shower was good, but this is what I need to wake up. I've been drinking coffee since high school." He smirked and I lightly banged my head on the table. This was so frustrating. "This is ridiculous. I can't remember anything when I try, but things just roll out of my mouth when I'm not thinking about it."

He took my hand across the table. "It's good that you're remembering things, even the little things. It will all come back, you just have to give it time."

I squeezed his hand. "Thank you. You have a knack for knowing what to say to me. It's a little freaky."

"If it makes you feel better, it's a little weird for me too."

"It does." I sighed and looked around the kitchen. "Let me clean up breakfast and we can go."

I pulled my hand away and was mid stride on my way to the counter when he said, "There's something we need to talk about."

_Oh shit._ _He changed his mind. He's leaving, going back to California_. I kept walking and grabbed the peanut butter, screwing the lid on and looked back at him.

"I looked outside while you were in the shower." He looked hesitant, and maybe a little embarrassed. "There are a couple of photographers at the end of your driveway."

"Oh. I guess, I... Wow." I sat back down at the table with him. "And you put up with this all the time?"

"Pretty much." He nodded. "That's why I kind of lay low. I don't go out to the clubs or big parties very often. It's not worth the hassle. I'd rather spend time with people I know who aren't going to sell a picture of me because then can."

"Umm. Okay, so clearly they're going to see us leave together. Unless. Do you want me to drive separately and meet you later?"

"I don't think it matters at this point. They think I spent the night with you."

"Again."

"Yeah. I'm sorry."

"I guess it's no longer a one night stand."

"Sookie."

I stood up and found a hair tie in one of the drawers. Of course, I knew exactly what drawer it would be in. It was really annoying. My back was to him as I pulled my hair back into a ponytail. I let out a deep breath and put my shoulders back. I could do this.

I went into the living room and put my bag over my shoulder. "Well, at least they think I'm good in bed." Glancing over my shoulder I saw Eric's shocked face. I giggled, what more could I do really? "Are you coming?"

He laughed, shaking his head again, and met me in the living room. Grabbing the handles of my bag, he took it from me and gave me a one armed hug. His hand dropped and he took mine, lacing our fingers again. Our eyes met and he nodded. "Don't look at them. Don't answer them. And try not to be shocked by the ridiculous things they're going to yell. You might want your sunglasses on. Ready?"

I slid my glasses on and nodded.

As he opened the door I heard him mutter, "Here goes nothing."

Leading me by the hand across the yard to Amelia's driveway, he did his best to block me from the photographers. I heard the clicking noise of cameras as we walked and they were tossing questions like confetti.

"Eric, is that Sookie?"

"What did you two do last night?"

"Did you spend the night together?"

"Is Sookie your girlfriend?"

Unlocking the passenger door, he let me in before putting my bag in the back seat and then went around to his side without so much as a wave at the group standing at the end of my driveway. He put on his own sunglasses, hooked his seat belt and backed out of the drive. For lack of any other term, they swarmed the car as Eric eased into the street. He shifted from reverse to drive and we were off.

We turned the corner and I looked over, he was expressionless.

"I'm sorry."

"What? No. I'm not upset with you Sookie. I'm just frustrated with those photographers. You don't have anything to be sorry about."

He still seemed tense, one hand on the wheel and the other tapping on the console between us. I moved my hand and covered his. He met my eyes and tried to smile.

"Come on, we're going to the beach. It's going to be a good day." I needed to think positive, this wasn't nearly as weird or as crazy as it seemed. We were just two people who were going to spend the day together. That's how I was going to see it. Forget that I had amnesia and he was being stalked by paparazzi. Oh hell, that wasn't working.

I turned the radio on with my free hand, the Jeep had XM satellite radio; I turned it to The Pulse on channel twenty-six without thinking and sat back. My back had barely touched the seat when I realized that I had done it again. "Son of a bitch. That is just weird."

He laughed. "I wasn't going to say anything that time."

I gave him a dirty look. My memory, and the random return of it in pieces, was pissing me off. We listened to the music, riding comfortably without talking for a few minutes.

Eric withdrew his hand from mine to turn onto the road leading to his place. As we rounded the corner, my phone started ringing and I looked to see who was calling. I sighed, Bill's name appeared on the screen. It was his first time calling since I remembered him, and I knew I actually had to talk to him this time. Eric looked over and I rolled my eyes, hesitating only a second before before answering.

"You had better have a damn good explanation."

"Sookie. I'm glad you're alright. I was beginning to worry about you."

I didn't exactly remember if Bill and I were civil with each other these days, but I wasn't happy with him. "You weren't worried about me when you were getting Lorena pregnant."

I heard Eric snort a little, but he kept his eyes on the road, like that made things more private.

"That's in poor taste. You weren't answering your phone yesterday, and after those pictures of you with that celebrity, I had no idea what could have happened to you."

"Those pictures of me with a celebrity? You mean the ones that you not only identified me in for the entire world but also supplied the tabloids a picture of me on our wedding day? Those pictures Bill?"

"Is he embarrassed of you? Why don't you want people to know you were together? I was never embarrassed by you."

"Oh my god. You're delusional. No, you weren't embarrassed by me; you just got someone else pregnant behind my back while you used two different kinds of birth control to have sex with me! You know what? This is ridiculous. I don't want to talk to you. Do not give the press any more information about me or you'll hear from my lawyer. And for the record, Eric is not embarrassed by me and he's a far better man than you'll ever be!"

My hands fumbled a little to end the call and I heard Eric mutter, "Holy shit." I wasn't sure if it was because of my tirade about birth control or because I had praised him to Bill.

"I'm sorry," I said, wiping the tears that had pooled in my eyes before I could stop them. "I'm sorry you had to hear that. I'm sorry I mentioned you. Shit. I just gave him more ammunition for the tabloids."

"It's okay, Sookie. They already know about last night. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just sorry that he is such a jerk."

We pulled into his driveway and parked. Coming over to my side of the car, he opened my door, giving me a hand as I climbed out. He grabbed my bag and we walked across the bridge. He didn't take my hand again and I was a little sad. And then I wondered what the hell I was thinking since we hardly knew each other.

He unlocked the door to the house, letting me go in first, and then came in behind me setting my bag on the couch. He watched me for a second, while I stood at the bar. Then he walked over and stopped in front of me, taking my sunglasses out of my hands and setting them on the granite counter-top. I looked at the glasses, then at him. I cocked my head, because I had no idea what he was thinking, or why he was looking at me the way he was.

"Sookie," he started. "Don't be mad. Okay? I just, please don't be upset."

"What?"

He took another step towards me and brought his hand up to my cheek. It happened quickly, but I experienced it in slow motion. The touch of his hand and then his lips against mine. His arm around my back and my hands on his chest. Returning the kiss because I was compelled. I couldn't not kiss him back, it would have been impossible. When we separated, I looked into his eyes in a daze.

He gently pulled me into him, resting my head on his chest. "That was probably a really bad idea."

I gave a little laugh, but didn't say anything. It probably was a bad idea, but I wasn't going to admit it. We stood embracing for several long minutes, caught up in our own thoughts.

"I need to take a shower. You're not going to disappear when I go upstairs are you?"

"No, I'm not going anywhere."

Apparently we were not addressing what just happened. Which was really okay with me. We had just one-upped the spooning and forehead kiss and I wasn't sure what to think, besides the fact that Eric Northman was a good kisser, and that I would have sold anything I owned for him to do it again.

**EPOV**  
Coming downstairs after my shower, I looked for Sookie only to find her on the balcony with her head tipped back catching the sun. She was breathtaking. The view of her out there did nothing to help my already active hormones. I had tried to keep my mind off her while I showered, but it was almost impossible. There was something between us, and it didn't matter that we hardly knew each other. It was disconcerting.

I didn't know how she really felt, and I didn't want to upset her, but in the kitchen after listening to her talk to Bill, I had to kiss her. I wanted her to know I was sorry; for Bill's idiocy, for my dragging her through the media, for everything. My brain, or my body, or whatever, decided that the best way to communicate that was by kissing her. Once it was in my mind, I couldn't stop it. Shit. I was lucky once I started kissing her that I could stop.

Running my hands over my face, trying to gain a little composure, I headed outside to join her. She turned towards me at the sound of the sliding door and smiled.

"Feeling refreshed?" She was so positive. I didn't know how she did it. How kept a smile on her face when the details of her own life were slowly trickling into her memory.

"I am. Do you want to head down to the beach?"

"That sounds great. Let me grab my bag."

Going back inside I grabbed a couple of scripts, a Diet Coke for her and water for me, and a bag of pretzels. She was waiting for me by the time I gathered everything together and I led her downstairs to the basement level that walked out onto the beach. I turned the radio on so that we would hear some music and we went outside.

We pulled the lounge chairs into the sun and began to get settled. When she took off her t-shirt and shorts revealing her body and her bikini I knew I was screwed. I don't know what I was thinking, that she was going to keep her clothes on to get sun? But it completely threw me off and she caught me staring.

"Eric?"

"Um, yeah?" I pulled my eyes away from her chest.

"Can you put sunscreen on my back in a minute?"

Oh hell, that was asking for all kinds of trouble. She proceeded to smooth lotion all over her body in the sexiest way possible. I'm sure she had no idea how much she was torturing me. I grabbed the lotion and began to put some on my own body, so that I had something else to focus on. I was probably going to end up with fucked up sunburn because I missed spots while I was unsuccessfully trying not to watch her.

Eventually I had to suck it up and take the sunscreen she was holding out. I sat behind her on the chair and rubbed some together in my hands to warm it up before applying lotion to her shoulders. I massaged her skin as I applied the sunscreen, hearing her purr quietly as my hands moved down her back. I was dying and considering killing myself because she felt so good and I wanted to do more than just touch her skin. Running my hands down her sides, I made sure everything was rubbed in. I patted her on the shoulders and quickly got up to return to my own chair. I couldn't be responsible for what happened if I stayed sitting that close to her.

I pulled my shirt off and laid down on my stomach, trying to hide my obvious arousal from both of us. Closing my eyes, I tried to will away images of my hands on her skin. I jumped when I felt her straddle my back and sit down. _Holy hell_. I heard the lotion as she shook it up and then after a few seconds, she rubbed the cool sunscreen on my lower back. Something must have escaped my mouth, even though I thought I was only muttering to myself, because she laughed as her hands ran over my skin.

"Relax, it's sunscreen Eric."

"I know what it is." I mumbled. I suddenly realized that there was most likely a photographer snapping pictures of us somewhere and my mood was suddenly cooled. I should have been thinking about the paparazzi all along, but I had been so distracted by Sookie, that I let down my guard. I decided I should warn her, and she just laughed.

"Eric, they already think we're sleeping together. It's fine. Just let me finish."

She. Was. Killing. Me. And then she reached forward to put lotion on my shoulders, her breasts grazed my back and I actually whimpered.

She whispered in my ear, "Are you okay?"

I cleared my throat. "I don't think you want to know how I feel right now."

"What? Oh." Recognition seemed to set in and she sat up quickly. "I'm sorry, shit. I. I"ll go back to my chair."

I grabbed her hand and turned my head so I could see her face. "Sookie, it's fine." It was more than fine. I exhaled. "Let's get some sun and relax. We've now learned that you are a master at applying sunscreen."

She slapped my back and laughed. "Well, you started it. That was one hell of a massage."

She moved off of me and I held her hand for as long as my arm would reach as she went back to her chair.

A little while later I woke up to the sound of children giggling. Rolling over and sitting up in my chair, I noticed Sookie's empty chair just before I saw her out of the corner of my eye building sand castles with two little girls near the shore. I stretched, rolling my neck and shrugging my shoulders, waking up and watching her.

She was covered in sand, letting the girls do most of the construction, helping pack the sand in buckets and place them as directed. One tower was getting quite high and it toppled over, eliciting peels of laughter from all three. I noticed the girls' mother sitting over in front of the house next door and she gave me a little wave. The girls scampered back towards their mother and Sookie stepped into the waves to wash the sand off.

I decided that if the paparazzi were around, they had already seen the show when we lotioned each other up, and they had gotten our pictures in the morning anyway, so the damage was done. I ran up behind Sookie, trying to scare her into thinking I was going to push her in the water, instead I grabbed her around the waist and spun her around. She laughed and threw her arms around me. I set her down and she stayed in my arms for a second laughing before she broke away and ran towards our chairs.

We sat down, smiling at each other and she asked about the pile of manuscripts I had carried out. I told her how I was trying to weed out the ones I was interested in, and she offered to help. I pulled my chair closer to hers and we spent the next hour or so laughing and talking about my potential roles, as well as telling stories about our lives as they related to the plots. Several times she told me full stories about things she had done with friends as if she remembered them like they happened yesterday. Each time, I bit my tongue and waited for her realize she was remembering things because she always got so frustrated when I pointed it out.

Eventually, we headed inside to make sandwiches. Throwing my shirt on, I led her upstairs to the kitchen. In the last two days I had learned to just let her "do" and not ask her questions, her mind would freeze up if the _tried _to remember things. I pulled ingredients out of the refrigerator but let her assemble her own sandwich. She did so without pause and then glared at me across the bar as I made my own.

"Don't be mad at me. It worked."

"I know." She was pouting, and it was adorable. "I just wish that it would all come back. Not this bit by bit stuff."

My phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was my friend Sam. He was a fellow actor, originally from Louisiana and starring in a sit com that filmed on the set next to the Bloodlust stage.

"Do you mind? It's Sam Merlotte, we're friends," I asked Sookie. She looked excited, Sam was pretty famous, and waved her hand, telling me to go ahead.

"Hey Sam. What's up?"

"Eric, I'm a day behind in things, but what the hell is going on?" He must have seen the pictures. Sam was always encouraging me to date. I'm sure he was trying to figure out where I had met Sookie. Sam had married a sweet girl named Daphne from home and was settling down, thinking about kids. "Eric, how do you know her? That's just crazy."

"Excuse me?"

"I've been telling you about her for almost a year."

I glanced at Sookie eating her sandwich and felt my stomach tighten.

"What are you talking about Sam?"

"The girl, Sookie, or whatever. She's the sad bridesmaid. I'd know her face anywhere."

_Holy shit._ The hair and make up guy on Sam's show did drag shows on the weekend as Martini Divine, and he, I mean she, was really good. Most people called him Martini on set even when he was out of costume. He had a series of pictures hanging on his mirror that showed him in various poses with a cute blond. Every time Sam heard a new story about her from Martini, he told me all about it.

One of the first stories was based on a picture of Martini and the girl together at a wedding. Sam described Martini in a pink tux hugging his friend, who had a sad smile on her face. Sam said she was wearing a black bridesmaid dress, corsage and all, so he called her "the sad bridesmaid." Martini had explained that she had recently filed for divorce, but she promised to stand up in their friends commitment ceremony; so it had been a bittersweet day for her. I remembered feeling bad for the woman when Sam told me the story, even though I didn't know her. The stories continued from there almost weekly and Sam swore she was my ideal girl.

I could not for the life of me think of a connection between Sookie and the drag queen.

"Sam, what's Martini's real name?" I was trying to make some kind of link between the two, and I knew that asking Sookie would probably be pointless. She wasn't paying any attention to me and was loading my dishwasher of all things.

"Lafayette Reynolds, why? How do you know her?"

That name. Sookie said Lafayette had called her yesterday from L.A. How many Lafayettes could there be?

"I met her through her blog. Sam, can I call you later?"

"Oh, yeah. No problem. Small world, huh? I'll talk to you later."

Ending the call, I turned around to Sookie who was now putting the sandwich supplies back in the refrigerator.

"Sookie, last night you mentioned that your friend Lafayette called. You said that we needed to talk about it."

She looked back at me, ass in the air, as she moved things around on a shelf. _Focus Eric. _

"Oh, yeah." She stood up, closing the fridge, and came back over to her stool at the bar. "Laf and I are good friends. He used to be my hairdresser, but he moved to L.A. and now he works on some sitcom. He called yesterday and was being all dramatic about seeing us together. The thing is, well, Laf is kind of a fame whore and, well, he kind of wouldn't hesitate to talk to tabloids for money."

"Oh. Well, what would he tell them? I mean, does he know any dirty little secrets about you?" I was smirking at her. At this point, I felt like I knew Sookie well enough as a person, without her memories, that he couldn't know too much damaging information. It just didn't exist.

"No. Well, not dirty secrets, but he has some stories to tell that's for sure. Amelia called him back yesterday and told him that you and I met through the blog. She really made it sound like I didn't want the publicity so he would keep his mouth shut, because he probably doesn't care about your privacy. That's just how he is."

"I'm not really worried Sookie. But thanks for having Amelia talk to him." I debated whether or not I should tell her about Sam, but it didn't feel right keeping it from her. "So, when I talked to Sam, it turns out Laf does his hair and make up for the show, but everyone calls him Martini."

"Oh yeah, from the drag show! Have you seen it? She's so good!" She laughed and shook her head at me. "What a small world! How crazy. I guess I knew that he worked on Sam's show, but I didn't think about it."

"Yeah, so here's the really weird part." In for a penny in for a pound. I might as well tell her everything. "Laf talks about you all the time, and for the last six months or so, Sam has been trying to convince me to fly to Chicago and go on a blind date with you."

"Wow." She said blinking. Then she threw her head back and laughed. She was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe.

I really didn't see what was so funny.

**000ooo000ooo000**

**A/N**:  
Oh, man! What I would give to put sunscreen on that man...and let him put some on me! Ha ha ha! Thanks again to everyone for reading. I'm going to try even harder to respond to reviews this week - so watch out! :) Real life has been kicking my butt. Don't people know I have fanfic to write? LOL

OH - you should check out The Sookieverse site! Daily fanfic updates, Book reviews of the SVM series, a directory of stories by banner (very cool), and all kinds of fun stuff. Join and even follow them on twitter! www(dot)thesookieverse(dot)com


	7. Vixen

**Title: Halo Effect  
Chapter 7 - Vixen  
Disclaimer: I don't own the Southern Vampires characters or stories. I just like to make them do crazy sh*t. All copyright belongs to Charlaine Harris.**

**A/N: **  
Thanks so much for your review lovin! Now we find out why Sook was cracking up at Eric. She's such a silly girl sometimes. :)

Big smooches to **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose**. Man oh shevitz, you're the best. Thanks so much for being such awesome betas and cheerleaders. you 2 + me = wondertriplets. That is all.

**000ooo000ooo000  
EPOV**  
Sookie was still laughing, tears running down her face. I sat down on the bar stool next to her, waiting for her to stop. I didn't know what was all that funny about Sam trying to get me to call her.

She tried to quit laughing, "Wait. Just a second." Catching her breath, she wiped her eyes. "Ohmygod. That is so funny. Can you imagine?" She laughed again. "If you had called me out of the blue? I would have thought it was a joke and hung up on you! Why would you ever call me?"

"You would have hung up on me?" I smirked. She had such a good sense of humor.

"God yes. It would be just like one of my friends to try to pull something like that over on me; to have someone pretend to be you. They all know I watch your show."

"Well then, oddly, I'm a little bit glad that that damn camera man knocked you out."

"I think oddly, I am too. I just wish he hadn't taken my memories with him."

I sighed and was about to speak, but she continued before I could say anything.

"No, don't apologize again. You're right. It's going to be okay. It's just going to take some time, I'm just glad I'm not alone."

We grinned at each other foolishly. I had been looking forward to our three weeks. But the thought that we such limited time bothered me. Walking away from her wasn't appealing at all. Fuck. I was going to have to think about that.

I tucked some hair behind her ear. "Do you want to go back outside for a while?"

"Would you mind? I mean, you're from California, you have this weather most of the year, but here, tanning weather doesn't last that long."

"It's fine. Should we call Amelia to find out what the plan is tonight?"

"We'll have to find out what time they want to meet. But it's Saturday, so I'm sure we're going to dinner at Phil's and then to Coral Gables for drinks and dancing or whatever. Do you dance? We could skip that."

She had done it again, remembered something and had no idea about it. I didn't want to point it out.

"Sure, I like to dance, but you realize it will be a little crazy if we go to a club."

She cocked her head at me as if she didn't understand. I would love to go back the days when I could go to a dance club, or anywhere else, without attracting the press.

"The media will find out where we are and be there. They'll probably wait for us outside the restaurant and follow us to the bar."

"Oh. Yeah, that might be crazy. Well, we'll just tell Tray to call his brother this afternoon and figure out some way to keep them out of the club."

It was my turn to look at her strange. How was Tray's brother going to keep people out of the club?

"Is he the bouncer?"

"No, silly. The owner."

"Well, that would help."

It was pretty standard not to have the paparazzi follow you into a club, but she seemed pleased that she could help, so I wasn't going to mention it. The problem with clubs, restaurants, movie theaters, public streets, airports, and, well everywhere, was that most people carried a camera phone these days. Every single thing I did could be captured on film, well, digital. I didn't like living in the fishbowl, but I'd grown accustomed to it, as much as I could, but she was probably going to have a rude awakening tonight. The group at the end of her driveway this morning had been tame.

"Do we need to go back to your place before we go out?"

"Nope. I brought a change of clothes. Let me call Amelia now and we can head back out to the beach."

I looked through the books on the side table, hoping to find one I might want to read, while she spoke to her friend. Sookie was laughing at something Amelia said and I glanced over, just to get a glimpse of her face. She had this amazing smile and when she laughed her whole face lit up. When our eyes met, she winked at me. I smiled and shook my head, she really was adorable.

"Alright Amelia, we'll see you at seven. Tell Tray thanks for calling Remy. Okay. Bye." She ended the call and grinned at me. "You were checking me out."

I threw my head back and laughed. "Indeed I was. You're easy to look at."

"You're not so bad yourself. Let's head outside so you can take your shirt off and I can look at your chest again."

What had gotten into her? She was flirting and teasing, and it was, well, hot. There really wasn't another word for it. I was in serious trouble. And now we were going outside to put more sunscreen on each other. _Fuck me_.

Apparently Sookie had thought about sunscreengate as well. This time, she stood behind me to apply the lotion. Her hands felt great as they moved across my shoulders and back, but it was nothing like the erotic rub down she'd given me in the morning. We switched places and I squirted cold lotion on her skin, making her jump.

"Hey! I warmed it up in my hands for you!"

"Oh, was that cold?" I teased, massaging the sunscreen into her skin.

"Paybacks are a bitch Northman. Just remember that."

"I'll keep that in mind," I whispered in her ear as my hands slid up her ribcage to brush the sides of her breasts.

She whipped her head around to look at me with wide eyes. Hey, she started it when we were inside. I patted her on the shoulder with a wink and headed to my chair.

We soaked in the sun, reading our books, and the afternoon drifted slowly by. Sookie let out a loud sigh and I saw her shift in her chair out of the corner of my eye. She set her book down and caught me watching her, again.

"Are you ready to go in? I could stay out here all day, but I don't want to burn."

"Sure." I started to gather my things. I could have stayed outside forever if I got to keep looking at her in that bikini. She stood and tied the sarong around her waist; it left a thin line of skin visible down her hip and thigh, and I wanted to run my finger down it. _What the hell? Did I have heat stroke or something?_ I needed to get my shit together before I scared the crap out of her.

"Why don't you grab a shower Sookie? Then we'll have some time to relax before we need to leave."

I needed a few minutes alone to clear my head of the dirty thoughts I'd been having about her all day. I had a bad feeling it was only going to get worse as the night wore on, especially since it would include alcohol and dancing. Yup. It was going to get worse.

I helped her get the rest of her things and followed her inside carrying our towels. She took over the guest bathroom and I wandered onto the deck so there was yet another door between me and her naked body in the shower.

What scared me the most, was that I wasn't afraid of getting involved with her; I was afraid of scaring her off. I was only here for a short time. Getting attached to her was the dumbest thing I could do. And unfortunately, it was too late. She was everything that had been missing in my life and I knew it. I also knew that I had to be back to work in three weeks, staying here wasn't an option.

**SPOV**  
Drying off from the shower, I found some lotion on the counter and smoothed it over my arms and legs. Wrapped in a towel, I checked the drawers and cabinets for a hair dryer, but couldn't find one. I remembered seeing one in Eric's bathroom the previous morning, so I figured he wouldn't mind if I borrowed it.

As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I heard the shower running in the master bath. I hesitated, but then felt my feet moving me towards the door. I knocked and waited, but didn't hear a response, so I tried again. Still nothing. I could go in and not look, right?

Biting my lip, I turned the door knob. The door made that popping noise from the pressure or whatever as it opened. "Eric? Um. I'm going to just grab the hair dryer, okay?"

His hair was covered in shampoo suds as he poked it out of the shower curtain. "Sookie?"

"Hey, I need the hairdryer. I'll only be a sec."

I tried to smile sweetly, but I had suddenly realized he was naked behind the curtain and I was mortified. I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could and I wanted to rip open the shower curtain to ogle him, at the very least. My pulse spiked and felt hot and clammy as I hustled into the room, I'm sure it was all because of the steam from the shower. He was back behind the curtain, and I was hurrying to leave the room before I did something I'd regret.

"Sookie."

_Oh shit._ I should have waited til he was done to get the hairdryer. "What?"

"Since you're in here -"

_OH MY GOD!_ My feet froze.

"Grab me a washcloth?"

"Um. Ah. Sure." I looked around, but didn't see a washcloth anywhere.

"Sookie, I'm kidding."

"Oh. OH! That wasn't very nice. I'm going now." His laughter followed me out the door.

I grabbed the hairdryer and got the hell out of there. He was still flirting with me. I mean, he kissed me, and then there was the sunscreen, oh, the sunscreen, but I really was thinking it was a fluke. I mean, what could he see in me? He was, well, he was Eric Northman. He was gorgeous, kind, gracious, caring, and famous - and those were just the first five words I thought of to describe him. I, on the other hand, was a nobody; an average middle American with a couple extra pounds, an ex husband and, shit, amnesia, so I don't even know what else. With a sigh, I walked quickly back to the guest bathroom to dry my hair, hoping the noise of the dryer would drown out the voice in my head trying to convince me that Eric Northman actually liked me.

When I came downstairs, Eric was standing in the kitchen drinking a glass of water. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed and I was mesmerized. He was wearing a Polo shirt with khaki shorts and Teva sandals. I couldn't drag my eyes from him.

He set his glass down and looked over at me, waggling his eyebrows. "Were you checking me out?"

I smirked. He really was irresistible. "I was. Do you mind?"

"Not at all. You owed me anyway." He walked over, running his hands down my arms, and I shivered. I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes, he was looking down at me, but now he had a serious look on his face.

"You do realize that this could get messy?"

Putting my arms around his neck, I tried to play dumb. "What's that?"

His arms went around my waist. "This. Us. It's not going to end well."

I frowned. "What makes you think there's an us?"

He bent his head, his lips caressing mine, and I heard a soft moan come from my chest as his tongue gently slid into my mouth. The kiss was soft and warm, our mouths slow dancing, as his hands sifted through my hair. He lightly scraped my bottom lip between his teeth, and then leaned his head back.

"That's what makes me think there's an us."

"Since you put it that way, you're probably right."

He chuckled, shaking his head at me. "What are we going to do?"

"Eric, my divorce was final two days ago, the same day I got hit in the head and lost my memory. Can you just let me enjoy this?"

"You're enjoying it?"

"I'm not sure. Kiss me again and then I'll tell you."

I heard him mutter, "Vixen," as his lips found mine again.

The sweetness in the kiss was fast becoming something else entirely, and I pulled away, not quite ready for everything I was feeling. Leaning my head against Eric's chest I hugged him and tried to lighten the mood. "Yup. Enjoyed it."

"Thanks for the clarification."

Without looking up at him, I tried to explain what was going on in my head.

"Eric, I know you're worried about me, but I don't want to try to figure this out. Can we just enjoy tonight and talk about it later? I'm not going to lie and say I'm not attracted to you or scared of all of this, but I just don't want to worry about it tonight."

"Hey." His hand was under my chin, tilting my head so I had to look at him. "I can agree with all of it except the scared part. Don't be scared."

"I'm trying."

It came out as a whisper, and I hoped that he understood everything that I meant. I was trying to hold my fear at bay, to remember myself, and to not think about all of the questions I had about us. His arms tightened around me and I sighed. "We should probably head to town before I turn into a blubbering idiot."

"Sookie."

"I'm joking. I do that, I think. Damn it."

He sat on the edge of the bar stool so we were eye level. "I don't want you to be upset." His hands smoothed up and down my arms.

I smoothed some hair off his forehead.

"I'll be okay. I just don't want to think about it tonight."

He nodded and put a hand to my cheek. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he was silent. He stood, taking the car keys from the counter and reached a hand out to me.

I picked up my purse and glanced at my beach bag, then back at him.

"Should I bring that?"

Raising an eyebrow, he looked me, but still didn't say anything. I looked at the bag again, like it was going to give me an answer. It didn't, but Eric finally did.

"Sookie, you can take it if you want, but if you're sleeping here, you don't need to bring it."

"Am I? Sleeping here?"

"I'd like you to."

"You'd like me to sleep here?"

"Sookie. I thought we weren't talking about this." He reached out and took my hand. "I want you to stay here. I don't care if you sleep with me or in the guest room. I don't really care if we sleep at all. I'm a patient man. This is up to you. Okay?"

I was trying to take things slow and not get overwhelmed by all of this. I didn't know what to make of my emotions. I was attracted to him, I liked him as a person, but did I feel such a strong connection to him because he took care of me when I didn't remember anything? It was a nagging question in the back of my mind, a sliver of doubt that added to the pile of doubt saying that he couldn't possibly like me. In no time he would be leaving me here when he returned to Los Angeles. When he said things like that, 'I want you to stay here,' and 'this is up to you,' the doubt started to slide off the pile. Hell, if he kept looking at me like that I was going to kick the pile of doubt over and forget about it.

"Let's go meet your friends. You're right. We don't have to figure this out right now."

He tugged at my hand and I stepped towards him, away from the bag. I think we both knew that a decision had been made.

Downtown Saugatuck was busy since the film festival was still wrapping up. We found a parking spot closer to the bar than the restaurant, but since that was our final destination, it would be fine. He opened the door to let me out of the car, and I saw heads turn as people tried to decide if it was really Eric Northman or not. Eric acted like he didn't see them, although I noticed a stiffness in his smile that hadn't been there back at the house.

We headed around the block to the restaurant, and Eric walked close to me, with his hand on my lower back. The streets were crowded, so several times he ended up walking behind me, moving his hand to my shoulder. We stepped into the restaurant, and it took a second for my eyes to adjust to the dim light. It was always kind of dark in Phil's, and as usual it was pretty busy, but if I knew Amelia, she'd already staked out a table and was holding court with other locals.

A waitress smiled and said, "Sook, she's in the back."

I nodded, a little surprised, she knew me, and I had no idea who she was. As I led him through the restaurant people were blatantly staring again, and I felt awful for Eric. A couple of women were actually pointing, and I wanted to yell at them that he was a person just like them. Luckily the restaurant wasn't very big and we found Amelia tucked in the back corner talking to a waitress. Bless her for getting us privacy. Then I realized Eric probably wasn't used to being hidden.

"Is this okay? We can get another table if you want."

"Are you kidding? This is great. I'm sitting in the corner so I know there's no one sneaking up behind me with a camera phone." He was grinning like a kid on Christmas.

I shook my head and stepped aside to let him slip behind me. His chest rubbed across my back, and I had to bite my lip to hold in a sigh. Then he sat down and slid along the bench to the corner seat. Amelia gave me a knowing look, and I tried to glare back, but it didn't work with the shit-eating grin that was plastered on my face.

I sat down next to Eric, and he put a hand on my thigh under the table. I was screwed. We were going to drink tonight, and I had no idea what my tolerance was or how I tended to act when I was drunk. I had a bad feeling Amelia wasn't going to do me any favors and tell me; if anything she wanted me wasted and in bed with Eric sooner than later.

Tray arrived, but it took him a while to make it to the back where we were seated. The man had to stop and talk to half of the restaurant. I explained to Eric that it was totally normal, Tray did it all the time. Amelia giggled, and I realized I'd remembered something else. Why couldn't I remember something useful? Like how many gin and tonics were just enough for me? Stupid amnesia.

Tray greeted Eric with a nod and gave me a kiss on the cheek before sitting next to Amelia. A waitress brought us menus and three of us looked them over, Amelia never opened hers. I looked over the top of the pages at her. "What are you getting?"

"Same thing I always get."

"That would be?"

"Scallop pad thai."

"Ooh! That sounds good!" I read over the menu, but I kept coming back to the pad thai. I glanced up and realized both of the Dawsons were watching me. "What?"

"You always order the same thing here, so we're wondering if you remember," Amelia said for both of them.

I read over the menu again and looked at them with uncertainty. "I really want the pad thai. Do we order the same thing?"

I looked at Eric.

"Is that weird?"

He shrugged. Why was I asking him? He didn't know what I ordered here.

Tray laughed and put up a hand to give me high-five. "That's it Sook! You two always get the pad thai, and then you both take home leftovers. I've been trying to tell you to split an order of it for years, but you actually want the leftovers."

We ordered dinner, two orders of pad thai and two burgers, along with a round of drinks. While we waited for our food, we talked about where I should take Eric during our road trips and what we needed to do around Saugatuck before he left. Then we drifted to small talk, Amelia and Tray reminisced about things we'd done in the past which usually led to peels of laughter. Eric told a couple of stories about him and his brothers and even confirmed some Hollywood gossip for us.

Eric had taken his hand off my leg to read the menu but, it was again resting on my thigh and his thumb was making slow circles. I took his hand in mine and leaned over towards him.

"What are you doing?" I asked quietly, trying to avoid Amelia's ears.

He smirked. "Nothing."

I gave him a look that said I knew he was full of shit, keeping his hand in mine as I turned back to the conversation. We had a great meal, and were just finishing up when the first person came to ask for Eric's autograph. She was polite, even apologizing for interrupting, and he pulled his hand from mine to graciously sign a napkin for her. After the fourth person came over, he exhaled loudly, but still was cordial and signed whatever it was they handed him. Catching Tray's eye, I inclined my head toward the door, letting him know I wanted to leave, and he went to find the manager so we could pay our tab.

We had settled the bill and I started to slide out from behind the table when Eric grabbed my hips, stopping me. His mouth was right next to my ear.

"Thank you for trying to help. You do realize it's going to get worse tonight though, don't you?"

I squeezed one of his hands. "I know."

"If you get uncomfortable we'll go home. Just tell me."

Smirking to myself that he had said we'd go 'home,' I nodded and his grip on me loosened. I stood up and waited for him. He got out up and gave me a smile that women would kill for and took my hand, leading me through the restaurant. I guessed that he didn't mind if anyone saw us or took pictures, I certainly didn't care at that point. The man was treated like a zoo animal every time he went out in public and he was worried about me being uncomfortable. Unbelievable. And absolutely sexy.

We stepped out of the restaurant and it was deja vu. There were video cameras and flash bulbs popping and questions being hurled from all directions. I was so shocked that I tripped on my own feet and Eric's body came flush against my back. He moved quickly, his arm went around my waist and his head bent, hiding his face, as he led me through the throng repeating, "No comment. Excuse us."

When he had extricated us from the spiderweb of media we found Tray and Amelia at the street corner. I felt his body relax, but only slightly. We both knew they were behind us and that unless we left now, the same thing would happen when we left the bar later. It was amazing to me that people even cared to see pictures of him leaving a restaurant, but I knew that I had looked at similar pictures of him in the past, so I couldn't really be that surprised or pissed.

"That is unreal."

"I tried to tell you, Sookie, and that was still pretty tame. We can go whenever you want to. If you don't want to deal with that again we can just go back to the house."

"Oh hell, no Eric." I grinned at him. "They are not ruining this night for me."

**000ooo000ooo000**

**A/N:**  
Thanks for reading! Leave me your thoughts and comments. Ready for Sookie to dance and have some cocktails? It could be ugly...or it could be sweet. You'll just have to wait and see! (Evil laugh!)

I have a feeling the next chapter is gonna be all EPOV cuz he just won't shut up in my head. I'm sure you won't mind.

Phil's is a great restaurant that the locals in Saugatuck love. (The scallop pad thai is crazy good.) Only a few lucky tourists find Phil's, even though it's on the main drag. Most tourists go to the Butler instead which is still good. :)

Coral Gables does exist in Saugatuck as well, but Tray's brother Remy doesn't own it. It's actually quite a complex with several bars and a banquet center - I took some liberty with it so they could go to a club with in walking distance to dance, so if you're local or have been there, don't flip out on me because it's not right. LOL


	8. Long Island Iced Tea

**Title: Halo Effect**  
**Chapter 8:** **Long Island Iced Tea**  
**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em to the beach and the bar, well, and I gave Sookie amnesia.**

**A/N:**  
Thanks to everyone for the reviews and tweets! I love, love, love the response this fic is getting! I'm so glad that everyone loves this Eric. He is all that and a big ole bag of chips!

Hugs and kisses my sisters from other misters, **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose**. My girls are busy, busy, busy - but they drop everything to beta these chapters for me. It makes me feel kinda special. (knock it off with the special jokes, I was saying something nice.)

00oo00oo00oo00  
**EPOV:**  
Sookie almost stumbled when she stepped out of the restaurant into the storm of camera flashes and shouts from the photographers. With my hands on her shoulders, I put my head down to reduce the chance of a giving them a good picture and weaved us out of the crowd, repeating, "No comment."

The sad thing, was that this was nothing in comparison to what I normally experienced at home. There were only about ten people in the pack following us. I had been followed to the grocery store by more people than that.

I kept my hand on Sookie, trying to keep her calm and make sure nothing happened to her as we walked down the street.

"That is unreal."

"I tried to tell you, Sookie, and that was still pretty tame. We can go whenever you want to. If you don't want to deal with that again we can just go back to the house."

"Oh hell no Eric." She said with a grin. "They are not ruining this night for me."

We followed Tray and Amelia down the street, with the small flock of paparazzi behind us. It was less than a five minute walk to Tray's brothers' bar. We were fairly early, but there was already a short line forming as people paid cover to get in. When we reached the front of the line we were greeted by a very large man in a Coral Gables t-shirt. He was the kind of guy that would have a nickname, like Tiny or Little Bear, because he was so fucking huge. He stood and picked Sookie up in a giant hug.

"Ruben! Put her down!" Amelia laughed.

"Hey Ruben!" Sookie giggled, then she mouthed, "Thank you," at Amelia because she had no idea who was hugging her.

"I haven't seen my girl in months. Lemme give her some sugar!" He squeezed Sookie hard before setting her down, then kissed Amelia on the cheek and bumped knuckles with Tray. "Remy saved you a table on the patio."

"Mr. Northman," he nodded at me. "Pleasure to have you here."

"Thanks Ruben. I'm glad to be here." We shook hands and he slapped me on the back as we went into the bar.

I was finally beginning to understand what the leasing agent meant about 'West Michigan nice' when she showed Alcide and I around my rental house. The people here were so nice that it was kind of strange. Yes, some people were star struck and asked me for my autograph or stared, but most folks here were just nice in general and acted like I was another tourist or a new neighbor. It was really cool, and really fucking weird.

The interior of the bar was noisy as we headed to the patio. Amelia had dropped back, and as we stepped through the door to the patio she leaned over to me, "Don't let her drink too much. She throws up and she's a whiny bitch about it."

Great. "How much is too much?"

She snorted and gave ma a look. "Oh, you'll know."

What the hell did that mean?

We found the table with a "reserved" sign on it and took our seats. Tray asked what we wanted to drink and went to buy a round. I was driving, so I would only allow myself one beer. Amelia clearly wasn't planning on driving anywhere and ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. Sookie's eyes lit up and she told Tray that's what she wanted too. I gave Amelia a dirty look and she shrugged. What the hell? Why tell me Sookie was a puker and then get her to order the strongest drink in the place?

The four of us were able to talk for a while, but as the night wore on and the alcohol flowed, the music got louder and we split into two couples around the table. Sookie had moved her chair closer to mine. We made small talk and people watched, as she sipped her drink. She started to get a little more touchy feely as her drink got lower. Her foot rubbed against leg and she was starting to give me bedroom eyes. Fuck.

Eventually, Sookie and Amelia went to dance while Tray and I stayed at the table. I didn't mind dancing, but I was enjoying watching Sookie move on the dance floor. Tray grabbed another round of beers and switched seats so we were next to each other. I shrugged, I still had some time before I had to drive, and took the beer.

"Oberon." He raised his glass and I guessed that was the name of the beer. "They make it over in Kalamazoo, you can only get it in the summer." I took a sip, it was pretty good and I told him so. "Oh yeah," he continued. "When this stuff comes out on March 1st every year it flies out of the store. It means spring is here."

I was getting the impression these Michigan folks were a little crazy about their beer. The leasing agent had left me a sampler six-pack in the fridge, that included beers from six different breweries in the area. We sipped our beers in silence, well we were silent, but the music was anything but.

Eventually Tray leaned closer, so I could hear him. "We need to go dance with them. Or at least I do. Amelia starts to get handsy when she's been drinking. I'd rather have her flirt with me than some random guy."

We gave up the table, snaking through the bodies on the dance floor to where Sookie and Amelia were jumping and dancing. I realized they had both gotten another drink and the liquid was sloshing out of their cups as they moved. I really didn't want to clean up puke, and I remembered Amelia saying before that Sookie didn't get drunk very often, so I hoped that she had switched to Diet Coke, or at least a drink that only had one shot of alcohol in it.

The music changed, a singer let out a bluesy cry, and then a saxophone wailed. Sookie and Amelia struck a pose, smiling at each other. Speaking along with the song, they said, "Do your thang honey," then started dancing when the beat kicked in. They looked like the twins that lived next door to my parents when I was a child, performing for all of the neighborhood kids in their basement. My friends and I used to love to watch them dance.

The show Sookie was putting on was way better than that though. She swayed her hips and moved her arms around, looking radiant. The song was '_Ain't No Other Man_' by Christina Aguilera, or someone, all of the female pop stars kind of sounded the same to me. Sookie and Amelia were shouting the words and pointing fingers at me and Tray as they moved around. I think Tray was equally amused by their little show. He was dancing, sort of, and staring at his wife with a grin on his face.

The chorus came on and Sookie grabbed me by my lapel, pulling me towards her, dancing with her breasts pressed against my chest. My cock sprang to attention, and I was glad the music was loud, so no one could hear the growl that I couldn't hold back. She looked into my eyes and bobbed her head, being sassy, as she sang the last lines of the chorus, "You got soul, you got class, you got style with that bad ass. Ain't no other man, it's true. Ain't no other man but you."

Fuck. I was done. I was about to go caveman and carry her out of the club, but she wasn't finished. She spun around, backing herself up against me, shaking her ass and singing to Amelia, who had put a similar spell on Tray. The song finished and Sookie turned back around, throwing her arms around me. I leaned down to hold her and she giggled, running her hands across my back and down my hips. She looked up at me and bit her lip. It was hot as fuck and she seemed totally oblivious.

The four of us danced to a couple more songs before Amelia indicated she was ready for a break. Taking my hand, Sookie led me to the edge of the patio and climbed up to sit on the railing. She set her drink down and ran her hands up my chest, around my neck, pulling me into a kiss. I was impressed as hell that she was taking the initiative, and had my hands in her hair, kissing her back. It felt like it lasted forever, tasting her, and feeling her hands on my back, but I'm sure it was really only seconds.

We separated, smiling at each other and Amelia tugged at my shirtsleeve. I looked over and she was making a cutting motion across her neck and pointing at Sookie. She didn't really need to tell me, I had already figured out that Sookie was pushing drunk. I turned back to see Sookie taking a swig of her drink. Fuck. I hoped again that it was non-alcoholic, but I knew it probably wasn't.

A little while, and several kisses later, Sookie squealed in delight at the song the DJ started playing. Jumping down, she grabbed Amelia's hand and ran back onto the dance floor. She had forgotten what was left of her drink, so I dumped it over the rail and turned around to watch Sookie and her amazing breasts bouncing around to _I Will Survive_. Tray and I leaned back to observe. About halfway through the song, he leaned over towards me.

"I think we're going to head out soon; before my wife gets too drunk and too tired. If you know what I mean."

I nodded, I knew exactly what he meant. I would like nothing more than to take Sookie home and spend some "not too drunk and not too tired" time in my bed. However, she probably was too drunk, and I wasn't that kind of guy. Not to mention, I was sure that she was the kind of girl that would regret it if we did. So I stood, waiting for the song to end, contemplating how I was going to survive spending another night in bed with Sookie.

The girls eventually made their way back over to us. They were out of breath and grinning from ear to ear. Sookie laughed and I noticed Tray and Amelia practically making out. They separated, and with a wink, Amelia told us they were heading home. Sookie piped up right away saying we would walk out with them. I kept an eye on her, trying to judge her balance, to see how drunk she was. She seemed okay, but I was still worried about the puking.

We headed out of the bar and Ruben got in step beside us. "You want me to walk with you? There's a group of photographers across the street."

Seriously, these people were way too nice. "If you don't mind. I don't want them harassing Sookie."

I don't know what I was talking about, they were going to harass us whether he walked with us or not; but I felt like I needed to look out for her. This wasn't her clusterfuck of a reality and I wanted to make it easier on her. We said goodbye to Tray and Amelia at the door, and Ruben stepped in front of Sookie while I took up the rear. I told Ruben where the car was and we stepped out into the night.

The camera flashes and shouts started immediately, and I wondered what pictures were going to show up in the tabloids tomorrow. Shit, they were probably already on the internet. They had pictures of us leaving Sookie's house in the morning and there were pictures from tonight as well. I was pretty sure there were shots of us on the beach too. Honestly, there would probably be shots of everything online and in the rags, and I didn't want to have to tell Sookie about it.

Ruben opened the passenger door to let Sookie in. He gave me a wave and I thanked him as I climbed in the car. I pulled onto the road and glanced over at Sookie. She had done fine walking to the car, so maybe she wasn't that drunk. However, the minute that thought crossed my mind, she reached down to adjust the seat, and I realized I was probably wrong. She must have been leaning back, because as soon I heard the lever click, the seat and Sookie, flopped back with a giggle.

"Shit. Sookie are you okay? Don't puke, alright?"

"Pshhh. I'm fine." She was struggling to sit up and bring the seat back up to where she wanted it. "Wait? Puke? Do I puke? How do you know that? What did Amelia say about me?"

"All she said was that you might throw up if you drank too much." I wasn't telling her that Amelia said she was a whiny bitch, I wasn't stupid.

She sighed dramatically. "I only had three drinks."

Umm. I was good at alcohol math and three long islands was equal to more like nine drinks, not to mention two gin and tonics with dinner, but I wasn't about to argue with her.

"Alright. I was just checking."

She had the seat reclined about midway, and was turned on her side looking at me. "Did you have fun? You didn't dance too much."

"I had a good time." _Watching your body bounce and sway on the dance floor, oh, and especially when you rubbed your breasts and luscious ass against me._ "Did you have fun?"

"I did. I haven't been dancing in forever. Bill wouldn't go with me, it was too noisy, he doesn't really like current music. We should do that more often. What are we going to do next week? I want you to see Sleeping Bear Dunes and there are a bunch of great wineries up by Traverse. We can just pack the Jeep and go."

She was totally rambling and it was adorable. Especially the way she seemed to think of us as a couple. She had remembered some things as well, but I wasn't about to point it out right now. We pulled into the driveway and Sookie made no moves to get out of the car. I glanced over and she was staring off into space.

"You okay?"

"What?" She turned to me and I saw her eyes clear. "Oh yeah. Just thinking. I don't think I'm going to want you to go back to California." Oh Sookie, you have _no _idea.

Unhooking my seat belt, I leaned over, taking her face in my hands and kissed her. I intended it to be soft and sweet, but she overwhelmed me with her taste, soft skin, and the smell of her hair. She was lucky we were in bucket seats, or I would have her laid out like a buffet. She gave as good as she got, drawing me towards her, moaning into my mouth. Eventually, I pulled back, trying catch my breath. This was not the time for these feelings. She looked as dazed as I felt, and then suddenly, her eyes got bright and she grinned.

"I'm kind of hungry. Let's go make a snack or something. Do you have any chips?"

Amelia had been right that first day, drunk Sookie was a trip. We climbed out of the car and started towards the house. Stopping on the bridge to take her shoes off, she had to rush catch up to me. She reached over and took my hand, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

As we entered the house, Sookie went directly to the kitchen cupboards, rummaging for food. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and stood at the breakfast bar watching her. She was like a whirlwind.

"You only have corn chips. I think I'm going to make nachos." She proceeded to pile a plate full of chips, cover them with cheese, toss on some jalapenos, and microwaved the whole concoction.

Grabbing napkins and a Diet Coke, she put her feast on the coffee table. Sitting cross legged on the floor, she leaned back on the couch and smiled. "Come on Eric, I made enough for both of us."

I joined her, and we sat side by side, munching on her nachos. Drunk Sookie seemed to have a lot of her memories, so we started comparing stories about other times when we had gone out with friends. Much later, the nachos were long gone and I was telling her about my cousins' bachelor party in Las Vegas. I took the empty plate to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water, but when I came back to the living room, she had fallen asleep. Really asleep, like head flopped back, mouth open asleep. So much for worrying about what was going to happen later.

I carried her upstairs and slid her under the sheets. I got ready for bed, and climbed in next to Sookie with a sigh. It had been a good night, and I supposed this was the best scenario we could have ended up in. I would never take advantage of her and I had a feeling if she had stayed awake, drunk Sookie would have tried to put the moves on me, or vice versa. Fuck, why did I have to be such a gentleman?

Sookie was sleeping on her stomach holding a pillow. I reached out and put my hand on her back, feeling ridiculously like I had to be touching her to fall asleep. I closed my eyes, and let her even breathing lull me to sleep.

Sometime later, I thought I heard Sookie saying my name, but it was late and I was tired, so I figured I was dreaming. She was sprawled out, using my chest as pillow and I didn't want to wake up. Then I heard it again.

"Eric."

I felt her small hand nudging me and then she giggled.

Covering her hand, I responded without opening my eyes. "What?"

"Did you carry me to bed?"

"Yes."

"I'm still in my clothes."

"Yes."

"I don't sleep in my clothes."

I opened one eye. "Then get undressed," I mumbled.

"And I have to pee."

I opened the other eye. "Do you want me to come with you or something?"

"No." She pouted, then muttered, "I was just telling you."

She crawled off me and went to the bathroom. After a few minutes I heard the water running, and then she came back to bed.

"Hey."

"Hi. Sorry I woke you." Her breath smelled minty. I briefly wondered if she used my toothbrush.

"It's alright. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm okay. I just took an aspirin and drank a big glass of water. I woke up and had to pee, and I couldn't figure out how I got here. You carried me up here? How did I sleep through that?"

"You were out cold."

"I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have had that last drink."

"You were fine. Amelia told me you were a puker, so I got worried, but you were fine."

"Yeah, you told me. That's the kind of thing that bothers me. I mean, I can look at pictures and talk to people about things I've done to get my memory back, but stuff like that? Besides Amelia, who's going tell me the truth like that?" I had a feeling Lafayette would, but otherwise I had no idea.

"Sookie, it's not a big deal. It didn't even happen." I pulled her against my chest. "Let's go back to sleep. You wanted to enjoy tonight and not worry about this stuff."

"I know." She rolled over so I was spooning her, and pulled my arm around her to snuggle. She exhaled. "I just want to remember."

"I know you do, and you will." I squeezed her and gave her a kiss on the shoulder. She fell asleep in my arms, and I wondered if I was ever going to sleep this good again when I went home.

00oo00oo00oo00  
**A/N: **  
I know, I know, some of you wanted them to get busy. They'll get there. Patience my little grasshoppers. Patience. It will be soon. So...lemme know what you think! Click the little button and tell me what a cockblocker I am. LMAO

Seriously - if you're curious - we make a lot of beer in Michigan...Bells, New Holland and Old Peninsula are my local favorites.  
http:/www(dot)michigan(dot)org/City/Default(dot)aspx?city=G3526

Oh - Bell's makes Oberon - it really does fly off the shelves March 1st. People put it up on their signs - "Oberon is here." http:/www(dot)bellsbeer(dot)com/home

**SVM Universe Housekeeping: **

*And now for something completely different...You should check out the new SVM/TB **DEAD PAN CONTEST** which is going on right now. It features parodies of our our favorite Viking & barmaid, culled from books, TV, films, cartoons or even fairytales. If you've never written before, this is a great (and fun!) way to get your feet wet. Entries accepted until May 15th!  
Details here: **http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/~deadpancontest **The current entries need your review love! If you're looking for something good to read, please head over there now!

* Be sure you've subscribed to the **SVM Teaser Thread** in the Forums on this site. On Mondays, authors post snippets of the chapters they'll be posting this week! It's great for the stories you already read and a good place to find new fics to read! **http:/forum(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/topic/55534/19191439/10/#24938762**

*Have you checked out **The Sookieverse Blog**? It's hosted by some of our very own SVM authors and fans. The Blog contains SVM/TB author directory, a listing of stories by banners - dude - the banners are soooo cool, and all kinds of other fun things! So check it out! **www(dot)thesookieverse(dot)com**


	9. Blister in the Sun

**Title: Halo Effect  
Chapter 9: Blister in the Sun  
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em to the beach and the bar, well, and I gave Sookie amnesia. **

A/N:  
Extra special thanks to Seastarr08 and A Redhead Thing for brainstorming on gchat when I hit a wall and felt like I was writing a travelogue. Big thanks as always to Red and Sapfirerose for betaing and getting all giddy about this story. They are my Super Troopers!

And thanks to chozinha for pointing out that I effed up on the name of the Christina song in CH8...Thanks to her, I fixed it right away, so you may not have seen it!

A little Michigan geography for you...Hold out your left hand, palm down. This is your map of the lower peninsula of Michigan. Saugatuck is located at about the base of your pinky finger. Ludington is say, at the knuckle of your pinky. Traverse City is up near the fingernail of your ring finger. And yes, if you live in Michigan, you are likely to whip your hand out as a map. Don't be jealous. You know you wish you could do it too.

000ooo000ooo000ooo000  
**SPOV**  
When I woke up in the morning, I was alone in bed, and I could hear Eric in the shower. I briefly contemplated joining him, and then decided that I wasn't quite that brazen. I was however, dressed in only a t-shirt and panties, while the only pair of shorts I had at his place were on the floor in the bathroom, with Eric. I sat up and sighed. He'd seen me in a bikini; at least I had a shirt on this morning.

I padded downstairs to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. My stomach growled and my mouth was dry. At least I didn't' have a major hangover. I had a slight headache, which I could certainly handle. I don't know what I was thinking with those Long Island's. I might not remember my tolerance, but that was just begging for trouble. As the coffee percolated, I looked for a box of cereal. Pouring a bowl of honey nut something or other, I sat at the breakfast bar and ate. Eric came down in shorts and a t-shirt and poured us each a cup of coffee. He poured himself a bowl of cereal as well, and kissed me on the top of the head as he came around behind me to sit on a bar stool.

"Morning."

"Morning. You feel okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks. And thanks for listening last night, I have a feeling I talked a lot."

He laughed. "You did. It was sweet."

"It was sweet? Didn't I tell you about my room-mate and I getting drunk with the entire hockey team in college?"

"You did. And you told me that your brother threatened them all within an inch of their lives for even looking at you."

"That was a good time. Jason and I were only at Northwestern together one year." I took a couple more bites of cereal. "What are we doing today?"

"No plans. What do you want to do?" He sipped his coffee and smiled at me. I should have felt uncomfortable in my underwear and t-shirt. Something about him just made me feel totally at ease; safe even.

"When do we have reservations in Traverse City?"

"Tomorrow, but we can change them."

"No, let's go half-way today and stop in Ludington. We can relax and wander around. I really want to go wine tasting up in Traverse."

"Sounds good. I'll pack and then we'll go to your place before we head out." Everything with him was easy, it was quite disconcerting to my amnesiac brain, because everything else seemed to take so much effort.

Eric packed a bag and grabbed his laptop while I showered. We hadn't talked about the night before. I wasn't really sure, but had a feeling, that I'd done some dirty dancing with him, and I definitely remembered kissing him on the deck at the bar. I debated with myself as to whether I should pretend like it hadn't happened, or act like it had. I finally decided that the best thing, was to act like we had kissed, and figure out how to do it again.

He'd basically told me that he liked me before we went out, something I was still trying to accept, and whether I wanted to or not, I really liked him. He was kind of amazing, an all around great guy. I was sleeping with him, just sleeping, and apparently most of the free world thought we were doing more than sleeping in his bed, so what did I have to lose? The only answer I could come up with was; nothing. It made me feel better to have had this little conversation with myself. I could do this; flirt. I guessed that I hadn't done it much since I'd been married, but I thought I could manage.

I got dressed and put my things back in my beach bag before heading downstairs. Eric was on the phone, standing by the sliding door looking at the Lake. I set my bag down and exhaled. I. Could. Do. This. I moved behind him and put my arms around his waist, resting my cheek on his back. He looked over his shoulder, surprised, but smiling at me. His arm snaked around me, pulling me towards his chest and into a hug. Finishing the call, he put his other arm around me as well, rubbing my head with his chin. I totally made the right decision to act like last night happened.

"Who was on the phone?"

"It was Pam." He ran his hands over my back.

"Oh my god, Eric. It's like five in the morning there."

"Yeah. She called me on the way to yoga."

"Is there something wrong?"

"No. She wanted to make sure we knew that there are more pictures of us on the internet."

"Oh. Does she do that? I mean, call you whenever there are more pictures of you posted?"

"No. She checks them to make sure they aren't photoshopped all to hell and that they haven't misquoted, or misrepresented me, but she doesn't call me unless it's something I should see."

"Oh. So, they were bad yesterday?"

"No," he chuckled, rubbing my arms. "Since they're of both of us, she wanted us to know. She told me that Sophie-Anne and her boyfriend broke up again too. You know, she plays the vampire queen on Bloodlust? I should call her later to check on her."

"That's too bad, about Sophie Anne. Her boyfriend seems kind of weird though. He's that goth rock star guy, right? Anyway, which pictures of us were published? What are they saying now?"

"Pam said they're pictures of us leaving your place, and on the beach. They pretty much challenge me to deny the fact that there's something going on between us."

"Oh. I guess you could."

He leaned back to see my face. "Sookie, I'm not denying it; here or there. Okay? " I may have melted a little at his words. "We can look at the pictures whenever you want."

I nodded and sighed. "Is Pam mad? She had that whole plan."

"She's over it. She's using the publicity to try to get me lined up on some talk shows when I get back to California."

"Can we look at the pictures? I mean, I don't want someone to call or something and not have seen them."

"Oh, yeah. Of course."

He went over to the couch and pulled out his laptop before firing it up to load the pictures. I stood behind the couch, leaning over his shoulder to see the images. There were shots of us holding hands walking to the car, Eric holding the car door open for me, the two of us wearing our sunglasses leaving my driveway, and then, oh shit, the beach photos. I couldn't believe my eyes. There was a picture of us when we first got down to the beach. I had taken my shirt off and Eric was staring at me like he was going to eat me alive. It must have been just before I caught him looking at me, but I hadn't seen that expression on his face. That look was primal, and it cleared up any questions I had about whether or not he was attracted to me.

The other two pictures were equally eye opening. In one I was straddling Eric's back applying sunscreen and had leaned forward to whisper in his ear; we were both smirking as if we'd shared some intimate secret. However, it was the final picture that I couldn't stop looking at. He had surprised me at the waters edge, picking me up and spinning me around, we were grinning and laughing, and we looked very much like a couple.

The short article was rather sarcastic, saying that nothing about the two of us had officially been confirmed, but reminded readers that 'a picture's worth a thousand words,' and they should believe what they wanted until Eric gave them the 'truth.' I wondered if Pam's announcement would be enough, or if it would make the attention worse.

There was something else I'd been thinking about as well. I sighed. "Can I ask you something?"

I needed to know what he'd been thinking about me, about the poor girl that filed for divorce, and went to the lesbian commitment ceremony with her gay drag queen friend.

"Of course."

"What did Sam tell you about me?"

Eric turned, looking at me. "He told me the stories he heard from Martini, Lafayette, whatever you call him."I loved the way Eric said his name, it came out as Laf-eye-ette, it was so cute. "He told me about you going to the Halloween party dressed as a Cinderella and Laf went as your fairy god mother. How you went on vacation with Amelia in Cabo and they lost your luggage. And that you went to a Bears game and he drank so much that you left him sleeping in the car so you wouldn't miss the game. Stuff like that."

"I remember all of those times. Why did Sam think I was perfect for you?"

He stood and came behind the couch, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Because you're a fighter, and you have good friends that you look out for. Because you're fun and funny, and you're okay with people who are different, and life in Hollywood is nothing if not different. Because you're beautiful and you're kind. Should I go on?"

"No. I wish I knew those things about myself though." He hugged me to his chest and I sighed, comforted.

"You don't have to have your memories to know those things about yourself. You are all of those things and more, Sookie. Do you believe me?"

I shrugged, but I knew he felt it on his chest. He stepped back and kissed my nose. "Well, you are." He held eye contact, giving me a long look, then smiled. "Should we go?"

"Yeah. Let's head out."

We headed to the car, where we were pleasantly surprised that there weren't any photographers waiting for us. Eric drove us to my place and I traded my beach bag for a small suitcase. I sent him next door to tell Amelia we were heading out of town. I could have called her later, but I figured she'd appreciate my sharing Eric with her for a minute.

He met me at the door and we loaded my bags into the Jeep. I handed him a map and showed him where we were going. It was straight up the lake shore.

We'd been in the car about an hour when I glanced over at him, and laughed. Maybe I was tired, maybe the amnesia was overwhelming me, but I was suddenly struck by how bizarre it was to be riding in the car with him, like it was something I did every day.

"What?"

"I"m sorry. This whole thing. You, me, us, or whatever. It feels totally normal. I'm more comfortable with you than Amelia and Tray and I've known them for years. 'This'," I waved my hand around at the interior of the car. "We have this comfortable silence thing going on, and we hardly know each other. It's, not normal."

"Sookie, who's to say what's normal? If things are right between us, they just are. Sometimes it takes people a while to get comfortable with each other, and sometimes it's automatic. I'm pretty happy with how comfortable we are around each other. To quote a wise woman, 'let me enjoy it'."

I laughed. He had a point. I was trying to over think everything. "Okay. Okay. Enjoy away."

He took my hand and kissed the back of it, then laced our fingers and set our hands on his thigh. We settled back into our seats, smiling at each other. The circles he was rubbing on my hand made me sleepy. I woke up a while later and he was quietly mouthing the words to something on the radio. I listened, and smirked, it was old school, _Blister in the Sun_ by the Violent Femmes. I must have giggled a little, because he glanced over and stopped singing, mid-word, breaking into a goofy grin.

"You're awake."

"Don't let that stop you. I was about to start singing too." I reached forward and turned the radio up and we sang along together, although I sang much louder than he did.

The song finished and he laughed. "So." He was not going to let me tease him about car singing. "I looked through some of the visitors guides last week. I remember reading about an ice cream factory that is also a restaurant in Ludington."

"House of Flavors. Mmmmmmm. They have good ice cream. The food is good, but it's the ice cream there that's the show stopper."

"Sounds like dessert. Anything you would recommend for dinner?"

"Umm. Probably Blu Moon. It's downtown. It's fun and they have a great chef. The lobster pot pie is amazing." Eric was grinning when I finished talking. "Oh hell. Well, if I remember the food is good do you think I'll recognize the chef if he comes out to chat?"

"We can fake it if you don't."

I snorted. "Yeah. Good thing I'm traveling with an actor."

He waggled his eyebrows. "Hotel ideas?"

"Probably the Four Seasons, but it's not the like the Four Seasons you're used to, it just happens to have the same name."

"That's fine. Do you know how to get there?"

"Nope. No idea." I couldn't explain how I remembered everything else about the place, but I didn't know how to get there and had to use the map to navigate. There was no rhyme or reason to my memory loss. I gave him directions from one of the visitors guides he'd brought along. We made a quick detour to Subway for lunch, and then headed to the hotel.

We pulled into the parking lot and he looked over shyly. "I'll go in and register. They'll figure out you're here eventually, but there's no sense in advertising."

"Eric," I laughed. "It's not like I'm embarrassed to be seen with you."

"I know, and I'm not embarrassed of you. That's not what I meant. Shit. I don't want you to feel...I don't want them to invade _your_ privacy. I have none, and I'm used to it. Does that make any sense?"

"It does. And it's sweet. I'll come in with you. It's fine."

We walked into the hotel and Eric chatted with the girl at the desk. She was really flustered, and embarrassed to explain that the only room available had only one bed. I thought I was going to burst out laughing at her pained expression. On the other hand, I felt bad for her; she was trying to be sweet and not make any assumptions.

Eric smiled and told her it would be fine. She told us where to park and pointed out the display of area fliers and brochures for area attractions. He sweetly thanked her and even walked over and picked up some information on the way out.

He carried our things up to the room and flopped on the bed. I shook my head and smiled, climbing on the bed to stretch out next to him.

"What's the plan?"

He propped himself on his elbow and grinned. "It's early. We can shop or walk on the beach. What do you want to do?"

"You want to shop?"

"No, but we could."

He was so sweet, to offer to shop because of me. "How about we walk down to the beach since we're so close? Then we can wander through town and shop if we feel like it, and stop for a drink, or whatever?"

"Sounds good."

He reached out and touched my cheek; that simple contact felt so good that I had to close my eyes.

When I opened them, he was smirking and had leaned closer, then his lips were on mine. Slowly and sweetly, he kissed me. My arm went around him and his hand slid down my back. The distance between us disappeared, and we were touching from head to toe. Somehow my legs had tangled with his, unconsciously bringing us even closer together. Our mouths moved faster, our breathing hitched, and I felt myself pulling his hips toward mine. His lips moved to my neck, leaving a warm path on my skin wherever they touched and his hands found my breasts.

My hips instinctively met his, and I felt his impressive erection, the one I'd felt spooned against my backside in the mornings, as he arched towards me as well. He moved his mouth to my collarbone, and an "Mmmmm," escaped my mouth. He groaned, his hands sliding down my back, gripping my ass and pulling me against him. His lips found mine, kissing me hard. With a gasp, he pulled his mouth from mine, laying his head on the bed so we were nose to nose.

"We need to go." His voice was hoarse.

"What? Where?"

"Exactly."

"Oh." I giggled.

"Why don't you go freshen up so we can go to the beach?"

"Okay."

Neither of us moved. We were gazing into each others eyes, his hand was caressing my back.

He said my name, it was almost a sigh. "Sookie."

"What?" I whispered back.

He rolled away from me, lying on his back with a groan. My body grew instantly cold from the loss of his touch.

I exhaled, loudly. "I'm going."

It took me a second to get my bearings, then I stood and headed for the bathroom. I knew he was right, that we needed to cool things off. But I flipped on every light in the room on my way through, just to be snarky.

**EPOV  
**The door to the bathroom clicked shut and I groaned. My hands raked through my hair and I exhaled deeply, tying to calm down. Holy shit. Whatever it was going on between us, there was no denying our chemistry. Reluctantly, I moved to the desk chair, in an attempt to ensure I didn't pull Sookie back into bed with me.

She came out of the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, brushing her hair and checking her make up. I watched her with a smile as she finished getting ready. She turned and walked over to me, stepping between my legs, smiling down, teasing me. I put my hands on her hips and gazed up at her. What the hell was she doing to me? She took my hand and stepped back, pulling me to my feet.

"Do you have the room key?"

I grabbed the key card from the top of the TV, showing it to her as I put it in my wallet. She put her purse over her shoulder, took my hand again and led me to the door.

We walked the few blocks to the beach, enjoying the sunshine and smiling at other tourists. I told Sookie about the beach I always went to in California. It was a quiet spot in Malibu, if there was such a thing, that I went to, to get away and relax. We wound up sitting in the sand, leaning back so we could soak up the sun. Her cell phone rang, playing some showtune, and she answered it with a smile.

"Laf! What's going on?" She pushed a button, putting him on speaker phone.

"Sooks. There's more pictures of you today with that hunka manmeat. Girl, you've been holdin' out on me. And now Sam says he been tellin that man all aboutchu."

"Oh. Yeah. Pam called this morning and told us there were more pictures. You're on speaker, by the way."

"What?"

"Hello Lafayette."

"Oh, sweet baby Jesus. Is that you Mr. Man?"

"It is. What did you think of the pictures?"

"Oh, they are fine, just fine. Only one problem with them, you got Sookie rubbin' yo back instead of lil ol' me."

I had to laugh, he was something else. Sookie rolled her eyes, and hit the button taking it off speaker phone, before she began chastising him. It was hilarious. I heard her apologizing for not telling him that she knew me and I felt a little bad about our lie.

She looked over at me and bit her lip, then said, "Well, there _may_ be an official statement in the next day or two. That's all I can say really." She listened, then sighed. "Laf, this Hollywood stuff is all new to me. You should understand, you're mixed up in it all the time." Her expression changed and she looked almost surprised, then sad. It only lasted an instant, and then she was smiling again, laughing at something Laf must have said. She looked over at me and finished the call, keeping her eyes on mine.

We were gazing at each other, her eyes seemed to hold me, and I couldn't look away. Then she turned her head and looked down at the phone in her hands.

I realized that something was wrong. "Hey." I nudged her shoulder. "Where'd you go?"

"Just thinking."

"About?"

"Nothing."

"Sookie?"

She shrugged. "Just something Lafayette said."

"What?" I could only imagine. He was a piece of work.

"He just told me to be careful."

For a minute I thought she was talking about birth control and I was a little shocked and excited, then I realized that wasn't what she meant at all. Quietly, I asked, "What did he say?"

She looked at me again, sadly. "He just reminded me that this is your vacation. Your real life is out there."

I exhaled. "He's right that this is my vacation." Putting my hands on each side of her face, I kissed her slowly, before whispering in her ear. "But Sookie, what's going on between us is very real."

She sighed. "Oh. Good. I mean, okay."

I stood, reaching a hand down to her. "So, shopping?"

She surprised me with her answer and a silly smile. "I think I might need a drink first."

We sampled the beers at Jamesport Brewing Company and walked around downtown, stopping in stores that had good window displays or if Sookie wanted to look for something. She got a cup of coffee and made me rest on a bench, people watching with her for a while, which was a total role reversal for me. First, because I never had time to sit down and relax, and secondly, because I was usually the one being watched. A few people had done double takes looking at me as we walked around, but no one even noticed us on the bench. We walked some more, talking and laughing as she remembered some of her past trips to Ludington.

I called Sophie Anne while we relaxed, but had to leave a voice mail. She was a nice girl, she just had poor taste in men. I hoped she wasn't too upset, their fights had thrown off filming in the past.

The easiness between Sookie and I continued through dinner, neither of us addressing the steamy makeout session in the hotel room that we were going to have to face, since we were headed back to that same room tonight. Sookie was right, the restaurant was good. The chef didn't come out to see her, much to her relief, because when we walked in she pulled me aside and whispered, "If I didn't remember how much I loved the food here, I'd swear I'd never been here before. This is totally weird!"

I'd put my arm around her, kissing the top of her head and felt some of her tension melt away. After dinner, we walked to House of Flavors for ice cream, and I felt like we needed to have our conversation there, rather than with the walls of the hotel room closing in on us.

I cleared my throat. "So, about earlier."

Her cheeks grew red and she focused on licking her chocolate ice cream cone, which was so not helping me.

"We should probably talk about it." We were leaning against the building, and the sun was beginning to slide down the horizon.

"We don't have to. It's okay."

"Sookie, if we don't talk about it, I at least have something to say." She nodded. "I didn't stop because I don't want things to go any farther; I stopped us because I do. As long as you understand that, and are alright with it, there's nothing to talk about."

She swallowed hard, her eyes wide. "Okay."

I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, as in, you're alright with that?"

She looked down at her dessert and took another lick. Oh, the places I wanted to feel that tongue on my skin were endless. Bringing her eyes back up to mine, she nodded. "Maybe not quite yet, not tonight, but yeah. I'm alright with it."

There was a little bit of ice cream on her lip, and I felt the need to lick it away. I leaned forward, tasting the sweet chocolate, and turned it into a kiss that told her exactly what I wanted to do with her. I stepped back and sighed. "Don't make me wait too long, okay?"

"Eric, it's just. I keep thinking, what's going to happen in three weeks when you go home?"

"Life is full of 'what if's.' Who's to say you're not going to hate me in three weeks? Or that you're not going to decide to move to California with me?"

"Can you really see me in California?"

"Sookie, don't ask questions you don't want the answer to."

000ooo000ooo000  
**A/N:  
**WOOT! I hope you like the progression we're seeing...Leave me some lovin and let me know what you think!

If you're interested:  
http:/www(Dot)visitludington(Dot)com/maps/downtown(dot)php  
http:/www(Dot)theblumoon(Dot)com/  
House of Flavors doesn't have a good website, but it exists! LOL


	10. Dry Before Sweet

**Title: Halo Effect**  
**Chapter 10:** **Dry Before Sweet**  
**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em up north and send 'em out wine tasting. **

**A/N:  
**Wow. Talk about life imitating art, eh? Those pics of Askars at Coachella and Palm Springs totally made me giggle and think about this story!

Thanks, as always, to **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose** for being such fabu betas! I can't thank them enough for being my sounding board and support. But, I can tell you to check out their stuff. Red has some great stories here on FFnet, and Sapfirerose writes the blog "My SVM Addiction." So - check them out!  
http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2119716/A-Redhead-Thing  
http:/mysvmaddiction(dot)blogspot(dot)com/

000ooo000ooo000ooo000  
**SPOV**  
We got ready for bed, and I was feeling nervous, not because I was only wearing a t-shirt and underwear, but because of what we'd talked about earlier. I had just told Eric, in not so many words, that I wanted to have sex with him, but not until tomorrow, or something like that. I couldn't explain to him what difference a day was going to make; it just did. Maybe I would remember something important in that time, maybe I would realize that it didn't matter that I had amnesia, maybe...anything. I sighed, and put toothpaste on my toothbrush. Eric had climbed into bed and was leaned against the headboard flipping channels on the TV.

When I finished brushing my teeth, I turned and leaned on the vanity, lost in my thoughts. I wondered if I normally watched TV in bed? My room in Saugatuck didn't have a television in it, but I wasn't sure if that room was set up the way I wanted it yet. What was Eric's house like? He said he had three Corvettes. How big was his garage? Holy hell, I was procrastinating.

He looked over at me and grinned. "Sookie, come to bed. I don't bite."

"I know." I pushed off from the counter and walked towards the bed. "I was wondering if I watched TV in bed, and then I wondered if you do when you're at home?"

"Deep thoughts." He teased. "I do, actually. I work crazy hours. You know, the vampire scenes are all shot at night. Sometimes I watch TV in bed to unwind when I get home."

I climbed into next to him, snuggling as he put an arm around me. He'd settled on watching CNN. "What shows do you watch?"

I hoped I wasn't totally confusing him, or sending mixed messages. I wanted us to still be comfortable, and we could certainly make out a little more. I wasn't opposed to that, it was just everything else I was freaking out about.

"The only thing I watch religiously is _Law & Order_, you know the one that follows a case all the way from the murder through a trial on every episode? That show is always good. What do you like to watch?"

"Well, I watch that show, but I wouldn't say religiously. And I'm kind of embarrassed that you only really watch one thing. I watch all kinds of stuff,_ Project Runway, Iron Chef, Lost, Castle_." I shrugged. "It's kind of random. Bill used to watch a lot on the History Channel, but," I faked a yawn, "It didn't interest me. Do you watch news or weather in the morning?"

"News, so it covers both. You?"

"Same."

"Interesting."

"What? You don't think I watch the news?" I had sat up, a little indignant.

"Ah. No." He laughed.

_Asshole_.

"Interesting, that you remember _what _you watch but not if you watch in bed."

"Oh." Okay, not an asshole. I couldn't think of what to say to that.

He turned off the TV and set the remote on the night stand, then slid us down on the bed. He rolled onto his side and looked at me. It wasn't totally dark in the room, thanks to the way hotel draperies never quite close all the way, so I could see his questioning expression.

"What?"

He traced my lip with his thumb and whispered, "You're beautiful."

"So are you."

His lip curled into a smile, just before his mouth covered mine. His tongue teased my lips and I responded in kind. I could feel the heat coming off his body. My hand slid along his naked back while his fingers threaded into my hair. Our tongues swirled and danced, and our legs tangled together. His hand moved down my spine, and his warm palm skimmed my back. I groaned, pulling his hips against mine, rocking against him. He kissed and nipped my neck, hitting the sensitive spot below my ear.

We made out like teenagers, well, more like college students, driving each other crazy. I kissed him until I couldn't breathe, and ran my hands over his body, learning his lines and curves. Eric finally moved his hands under my shirt to touch my aching breasts; and although it felt amazing, I wondered if we'd crossed a line that would push one of us over the cliff. He kissed me harder, and our mouths mimicked what we could have been doing with our lower bodies. Our hips ground together and we were both panting.

His hand was on my hip, fingers teasing the elastic of my boy shorts, and he asked permission with his eyes. I nodded, my own hand moving to his waistband, and we paused, to each remove our under things. He kissed me as his hand moved down my front, his fingers inching towards the place I ached to be touched. I couldn't think. My body moved against him, as he caressed me with his fingers, his thumb working my clit. My hand trailed down his abdomen, and I felt him inhale, his muscles tensing in anticipation. His body was long and lean. My fingers traced over his hipbone, and down, until they wrapped around his hard length. Feeling his size against my back was one thing, but touching him was entirely different; better, amazing. I wondered how he would fit, and moaned just thinking about it. I ran my thumb over the tip, spreading around the moisture that had pearled there.

My body knew what it wanted, and climbed towards release with each pass of his hand. When he first slid one finger into me, then two, my brain began to overload. The sensations swirled in my head, my palm moving over his hard shaft, his fingers stroking my core, our mouths tangling, and my racing pulse. They combined, sending wild sparks through my body. I whimpered and moaned as he muttered my name, moving to kiss my neck and jaw.

We worked each other, and I knew the only thing that could feel better, would be if we were joined. My orgasm built and I pumped my hand faster, channeling my feelings into him, breaking stride as I came on his hand, arching my back with a gasp. When my head cleared, I returned my attention to him, stroking and twisting my hand, learning what he liked. I licked along his jaw and kissed his neck, then grazed my teeth over his Adams Apple. He tensed and muttered a curse, his release coming in spurts on both of us.

We lay together, breathing heavy, rubbing hands on each others backs. He kissed my forehead gently and smiled. I felt shy again, and like a fool, because really, what difference could having actual sex make after we had shared that? Perhaps the difference was in my mind, not in my heart, or vice versa. I couldn't explain it to myself, let alone him.

"I'm sorry. For, not, well; for making you wait."

"What?" He looked confused. "Jesus, Sookie. I feel like I have to get you home before curfew or something, but that was incredible. You don't have anything to be sorry about."

He reached to the side and did something with one of the pillows. After a minute, I figured out he was taking off the case. Then he wiped off his chest and my shirt before throwing the makeshift towel to the floor. He pulled me against him, stretching his body and sighing, in what sounded like contentment.

"Sookie, I don't want to sound like someone's father when I say this, but, don't ever feel like you have to apologize for making a man wait. Okay?"

I laughed. "You do sound like a dad."

"I'm serious. I'll wait as long as you want."

Yeah, I wasn't going to be able to resist much longer after that. All I could manage to say was, "Thank you."

**EPOV**  
I have no idea how I fell asleep so fast, well, I do; a good orgasm will do that to me. One minute I was wrapped around Sookie, rubbing circles on her back and imagining how great the sex would be if making out was that incredible, the next thing I knew, it was several hours later and I felt her moving off the bed to go to the bathroom.

She washed her hands and turned, looking towards the bed, not realizing I was awake.

"Come back to bed."

"I didn't mean to wake you."

"I know."

"Not like last night."

My chest shook, quietly laughing. "Come here. I'm cold." I wasn't, but maybe she'd feel guilty and come snuggle against me. Shit. I was in deep trouble with her.

She climbed in bed, rolling to her side, backing her ass into my groin and wiggling to press her back against my chest. I put an arm around her but stopped my inner caveman from throwing my leg over hers and locking her against me. She took my hand, pulling my arm against her chest, holding it tucked between both of her arms.

She sighed, and after a few minutes her breathing evened out, and she was asleep. I listened to her, the steady sounds of her inhaling and exhaling, the rhythmic sound was like listening to the waves and my sleep came shortly later.

I woke in the morning to find her lying on her side watching me.

"Mmm. Morning."

"Hi."

I licked my lips, my mouth was dry. "How long have you been up?"

"Not long."

"You want me to go get coffee?"

She shrugged. "When you feel like it."

I arched an eyebrow. "You love coffee."

"I like being in bed with you."

"Fuck. I better get up."

She giggled, her hand touching my chest as she laughed. My dick definitely liked waking up near her.

The hotel had a continental breakfast, so I headed down to make a tray filled with coffee, yogurt and fruit. We ate and showered, trying to pretend that the sexual tension wasn't as thick as honey. We checked out of the hotel, earlier than I expected, but I don't think we could have spent much longer in the room without attacking each other. Sookie offered to drive, and after several jokes about whether or not she could remember how, I gave her the keys.

I was enjoying being the passenger, taking in the green of the landscape and watching the scenery roll by. She continued giving me a commentary about the towns we were passing through like she had the day before, and told me about some of the wineries she wanted to visit. I was particularly interested in one that she described as a chateau style winery and bed and breakfast, sitting on the top of a hill, surrounded by vineyard. Not only did it sound beautiful, but Sookie said they made her favorite sparkling wine.

We arrived at the hotel, and I knew not to ask if she wanted to come in with me. We went into the lobby, where I was a little surprised and impressed by the surroundings. The Grand Traverse Resort and Spa rivaled some of the finest hotels I've seen. It had a woodsy theme, their logo was a bear, yet it was still elegant, with an air of sophistication.

While I went to check in, Sookie spoke to the concierge about a tour of the wineries so that we didn't need to drive after wine tasting. I was surprised for the second time at the hotel, upon learning that Pam had reserved us a condo. Why the hell she hadn't just gotten us a room, I had no idea. I accepted the keys and the brochures, along with a map of the property. Sookie was still chatting with the concierge, who was clearly flirting with her, until his eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw me. _That's right. She's with me. _

I put my hands on Sookie's shoulders, my chest just touching her back, and nodded a greeting at the concierge. He stuttered, then gave us information about a wine tour leaving shortly, but recommended renting a limousine for a private tour. The cost didn't bother me, but like the Corvette, the idea of doing something so pretentious or star-like, just wasn't me; and it certainly wasn't Sookie. We drove over to our condo to freshen up, then came right back to wait for the tour.

We waited in the lobby for the tour group, and a few people began to murmur and look in my direction. I wondered if perhaps I'd made the wrong choice about going with a group, but Sookie stood on her tiptoes, cupping my face and giving me a sweet kiss, and I forgot what I was concerned about. Our guide arrived, and we joined several other couples moving towards the large van.

Once we were all seated, the guide asked us to introduce ourselves to each other. Of the three couples touring with us, two were traveling together from Kalamazoo downstate, and were about my parents age. The wives spoke so softly that I didn't catch their names, but the husbands were both named Bob. They joked that we could call them red Bob and blue Bob, because of their shirt colors, and Sookie thought that was hysterical. The other couple, Steven and Sarah Newlin, looked about our age, and were from Dallas. Sookie introduced the two of us, which I thought was adorable, and there were several chuckles from the group; clearly they all knew who I was and where I lived. Then, as he spoke, I decided that Charles, our guide, was my new best friend.

"So, let's get on the same page. We're all here to check out wineries and drink wine. I'd like to suggest that we treat Eric here, like we would any other tourist that you'd encounter. I'm sure he'd graciously have his picture taken with you, but let's not video tape or take pictures of him like crazy paparazzi, alright?" Everyone murmured their assent like they would have never done such a thing, and who knows maybe they wouldn't, but I loved Charles for reminding them I was here to vacation as well.

We were going to four wineries on Old Mission Peninsula and stopping for lunch. The names of the wineries were even cool; Chateau Chantal, Bowers Harbor, Chateau Grand Traverse and Black Star Farms. I was honestly more of a beer guy, but I could appreciate good wine. My parents were both raised in Europe and had wine with every evening meal. My brothers and I had grown up listening to them talk about the bouquets, depth and finishes of wine.

We drove to the peninsula, and Charles explained we were starting at the furthest winery and working our way back. It took about a half an hour, and I was still amazed at how lush the landscape looked, but now it was dotted with vineyards and looked strikingly like northern California. The van turned onto a winding driveway to Chateau Chantal, and Sookie excitedly told me that this was the winery she had told me about on the drive the day before.

The place was amazing, and you couldn't help but take a look around you before going into the tasting room, the chateau looked out over Grand Traverse Bay and rolling vineyards. After everyone had taken some pictures of the surrounding landscape, we filed into the tasting room, lining up along the bar to begin tasting. We were each given a glass and a menu of wines available to sample, and although I knew what kinds of wine I liked, I had no idea how to go about tasting.

Sookie smiled at me. "Dry before sweet, white before red, and old before young. That's all you need to remember."

Unfortunately, Sookie only remembered which wines she liked at this winery, so as the day went on, she sampled as many as she could, and took sips of mine as well. We stopped for lunch at Bowers Harbor Inn, which was supposed to be haunted. We split a bottle of wine from the last winery we'd visited, which was also called Bowers Harbor, but it was a mile or so away from the restaurant.

We sat with the Newlins, chatting as we waited for our food, and the ladies seemed to hit it off. Steve seemed a little intimidated by me, but we talked about sports, the universal man topic, and got along fine. It was interesting to listen to Sookie talk with Sarah, hearing the way she maneuvered the conversation around things that she couldn't remember. My favorite part of lunch was the way Sookie's eyes danced when she told them how we met through her blog, it was teasing and flirty, and the Newlins had no idea she was lying through her teeth.

By the time we stepped into the fourth winery, Black Star Farms, Sookie's cheeks were red and she was giggling about everything. I felt good, but Sookie appeared to be feeling great. I briefly worried about her puking, but she had kissed me in the van and I'd put it out of my mind. Her kisses had a way of distracting me. We had purchased wine at each stop, and had well over a case between us in the back of the van.

Our group stood in a row at the bar, reviewing the list of wines. Sookie and Sarah seemed to have the same taste in wines, so they were comparing which descriptions sounded interesting to them. At this point, all of the wines were kind of tasting the same to me. I picked a couple that sounded good; then sipped my wine and continued watching Sookie. She captivated me, her expressions, her laugh, the little things she still couldn't remember, and the look on her face when she realized she remembered something.

Sookie laughed at something Sarah said and I felt a hand on my elbow. I turned. It was one of the Bob's trying to get my attention. "How long are you kids in town?"

"Three days. You?"

"Ten days. The kids are coming up with the grand-kids next weekend."

"That's nice."

"Are you going over to the Cicone winery while you're here?"

"Oh, I don't know, Sookie is more familiar with the are than I am."

"Dontcha know their daughter?"

I looked at him blankly. "I don't think so. Should I?"

I heard Sookie snicker as her body pressed against my side. "Red Bob, just because he lives in Hollywood doesn't mean he knows every celebrity out there. Madonna lives in England now anyway."

_What the hell were they talking about? _

Bob chuckled. "I guess you're right. She's a musician anyway, I guess you don't run in the same circle of friends eh, with you being an actor?"

"Yeah, I've met her, but we're not really friends." Did Madonna's parents own a winery? I was so confused.

"Well, I'm sure her parents would love to meet you."

Sookie gave him a sugary smile. "I'm not sure if we'll have time, but if we do, you can bet I'll make sure Eric introduces himself."

Bob's wife asked him a question, and he turned his back to us. Sookie stood on her toes, her hands on my elbows, pulling me down for a quick kiss.

She grinned. "That was sweet of you."

"What?"

"Not telling him he was crazy for thinking you'd know Madonna."

"Do her parents own a winery here?"

Sookie grinned and nodded. "It's on the other peninsula up by Suttons Bay."

"Well, shit, if meeting her parents will get my name on her radar, let's go. Madge has some connections." I waggled my eyebrows and teased.

She slapped my arm with a laugh. "I can get you on her radar, Eric. She's a big fan of Martini's."

Of course. I should have known. "You never cease to amaze me, Sookie Stackhouse."

Her hands slid up my chest to my shoulders, and she smirked at me with a naughty twinkle in her eyes. She was going to kill me. I was horny, and buzzed, and we were about to get in a van with our entire tour group, and I wouldn't be able to touch her.

"You're evil." I quipped as we wandered into the retail area to buy even more wine.

oo00oo00oo00oo00oo

**A/N:**  
So, our kids are getting a little closer. They are so cute it's killing me! Bet you can't wait to see what happens next! I'd love to hear what you think! Leave me a review if you want! (Cuz, you know I want to hear what you have to say!)

Grand Traverse Resort and Spa  
http:/www(dot)grandtraverseresort(dot)com/

Michigan Wine Information  
http:/www(dot)michiganwines(dot)com/

Bowers Harbor Inn:http:/www(dot)bowersharborinn(dot)net/  
BHI - Haunting Info: http:/www(dot)realhaunts(dot)com/united-states/bowers-harbor-inn/  
Cicone Vineyards - http:/www(dot)cicconevineyards(dot)com/


	11. Chicken Noodle Soup

**Title: Halo Effect**  
**Chapter 11:** **Chicken noodle soup**  
**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and meet some Yoopers. **

**A/N: **As always, thanks to **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose** for their support and for being such rockin' betas. Thanks to **Seastarr08** too, for helping me come up with some names for the brothers! And thanks to **Ariesgirl1982** for some suggestions about places to go in TC!

I think you will all like the way this chapter plays out...Be sure to let me know.  
**  
oo00oo00oo00oo00  
EPOV**  
We got back to the condo and relaxed, curling up on opposite ends of the couch. We both fell asleep for awhile, thanks to the wine, then Sookie woke me as she stood and wandered to the kitchen for a drink.

"Holy crap!"

I went to see what she was talking about. She was gaping at a refrigerator and freezer full of food. "Did you know about this? There's enough food to feed an army!"

"I had no idea." I looked around, and saw a flower arrangement on the table. Grabbing the card,

I wondered if it was from the resort, but the typed message was from Pam.

_Love Birds,_

_Enjoy your retreat. The massage therapy team will be over tomorrow at 10 a.m. for your couples massage. Don't do anything I wouldn't do! Call me when you get back to the beach house.  
-Pam _

I handed the card to Sookie. "Couples massage?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, I didn't schedule it."

"Well, I'm not turning it down."

"Well, good." We were grinning at each other across the table. I pulled out a chair and sat down.

"What do you want to do for dinner?"

She walked back to the refrigerator, "Salmon and steamed vegetables?"

"Sure. Are you cooking?"

"If you're helping."

I shrugged. "Sure."

"Do you cook much?"

"Not really. I like to, but I don't get the opportunity very often." I enjoyed cooking, but I didn't get to do it as often as I liked. I wasn't home during meal times that much, and when I was, it was just me, and it was hard to get motivated to cook just for myself. Growing up, we had a rotating chore list, and each night one of us had to help fix dinner.

"What's your favorite thing to cook? Your best dish?"

I smirked. It was kind of wussy. "Chicken noodle soup."

"From scratch? Really? That's so cool. Mine is chicken paprikash. My Gran taught me."

"I have no idea what that is."

She chuckled, as she pulled things out of the fridge. "Chicken, coated in paprika, sautéed with onions, then simmered in tomato sauce until it falls off the bone. You serve it over rice or noodles, with a little bit of sour cream stirred into the tomato sauce."

"That sounds good. You want to hear the secret to my soup?"

"Of course!" She was pouring salad dressing over the fish as a marinade. Genius. But really, what the hell had Pam told them? Stock the place with anything twp people could want over the course of three days? The amount of food in the condo was staggering. Sookie washed her hands as I began talking again.

"Rotisserie chicken. My mom used to roast a chicken in the crock pot the day before, and then we'd use it in the soup. Now, I just buy one of those already cooked birds and I'm on my way."

She was grinning at me, as she dried her hands on a towel. Then she walked over and put her arms around my neck. "Your secret is safe with me. I'll take it to the grave." She brought one hand to the corner of her mouth, making the motions of locking and throwing away the key.

I shook my head as I bent to kiss her, she was adorable.

We worked well together in the kitchen. She gave good instructions and I followed her lead. Dinner was delicious, as was her company. She was still struggling with her memory, sometimes trying to remember things that just weren't there, but it was an improvement from the complete blank she had been that first day.

My cell phone chirped, indicating that I had a voice-mail, while we were cleaning up the kitchen. Sookie and I had discovered that neither of our phones had great coverage this far north. I stood at the counter, and listened to the message.

"Eric, I'm so sorry I missed your call." It was Sophie Anne. "I'd love to talk to you about everything that is going on." She exhaled and continued. "Call me back when you get this message. Bye."

She sounded sad, but then, she'd just broken up with her boyfriend, again. Physically, he was much older than her, but he was emotionally immature, and it repeatedly caused problems. I tried to call her back, but I had to leave her a message.

"Hey, I got your message. Sorry we haven't been able to talk. I hope you're doing alright. I'll talk to you later. Bye."

I told Sookie what Sophie Anne had to say, and she empathized with her, saying that break-ups were never fun, and we finished cleaning up and loading the dishwasher.

After reclaiming our seats on the couch from earlier, we relaxed with the radio playing in the background, talking quietly. Because of the gaps in her memory, it was still easier for her to ask me questions, and then add her own stories as she remembered them. We sipped a nice Merlot that we had purchased earlier, laughing and talking.

Much later, she bit her lip and looked over at me shyly. "I need to tell you something."

"Okay."

"It's just, I. I'm not positive, because I don't remember everything. God, this is ridiculous." She raked her hands through her hair. "It's been a long time, since before I left Bill."

"Sookie." I sat forward, taking her hands. "Please, don't stress out about this." I wanted to say, 'It's just sex,' but we both knew it was more than that. Although I had been single for a long time, I hadn't been celibate, but that's not what this was about. Having sex with Sookie would change things, not now, but in the course of things, and we both knew it.

If I really thought about it, things had changed for me the second I saw her there on the ground. Every protective instinct in me had gone on full alert. She wasn't just a damsel in distress, in that instant, she was _my_ damsel, _my_ responsibility, and I couldn't imagine ever not wanting to take care of her.

"I'm not, I don't...Um, I'm on the pill, and I got tested after, well, Lorena." She was looking at our hands, and then brought her eyes to mine. "I just need you to know that it's a big deal for me. I'm not, I don't do this lightly."

Putting a hand on her cheek, I said quietly, "I know you don't. Neither do I." I kissed her lightly. "And I'm clean, but we can use a condom if you want, I understand."

Looking at me, her eyes assessed my sincerity, and she smiled. Then she surprised the hell out of me; getting up and climbing into my lap, putting her arms around my neck. My arms wrapped around her, as she laid her head on my shoulder. I ran my hands over her back. She was straddling my legs, but not pressing against me, it was more sweet than sexy, and it was making me insane.

She gave me a tantalizing kiss, and then pulled back. "I trust you." It was no more than a whisper.

She stood, taking my hand, and pulled me to my feet, leading me down the hall behind her. I would have followed her anywhere. She led me to the master suite, turning on the lamp before turning to face me in front of the bed. My breath caught, as she slowly reached to unbutton her shirt.

I stepped forward; meeting her eyes, and took over for her shaking hands. Leaning down, I kissed her beautiful skin, as each button revealed more of her chest and stomach. I pushed the fabric over her shoulders and down her arms, and then crouched in front of her, with my hands at her waistband, before gently kissing across her belly. Looking up to her face, I wanted to make sure she was still alright with things, and she gave me a slight nod. I unzipped her shorts, sliding them down her legs along with her underwear. As I stood, she unhooked her bra in the back, pulling it forward and dropping it on the floor with the rest of her clothes. She stood before me, naked, perfect, beautiful. My hands went directly to her breasts. She moaned as my thumbs teased her straining nipples, and I bent my head to kiss her.

She kissed me back, her tongue sliding along mine, then nipping at my lips, as her hands lifted my shirt. We separated long enough to pull my shirt over my head, and then she was fumbling with my belt. Her hands slid down my hips, pushing what was left of my clothes to the floor. She ran her hands ran down my chest, then around to my back, pulling me against her.

My own hands threaded into her hair, as I placed soft kisses along her jaw, and down her neck. Her eyes were clouded, as I led her to the bed. She stretched out, without hesitating, smiling as I lay down next to her. Everything with her was new, but it was exactly right, like we had been together for years.

She reached forward, and whether it was conscious or not, placed her hand over my heart. She leaned in and kissed me, her tongue lightly brushing my lips. Then we were moving in sync, touching and sighing, tasting and teasing, hands caressing, hips rocking together. I was nestled between her legs, kissing her breasts, teasing her nipples with my tongue. She arched her back, pushing her chest towards me, while her hands slid along my back and into my hair.

I skimmed my hand along her side, and down her stomach, watching her shiver at my touch. My fingers slipped between her legs, and she moaned, raising her hips. I wanted to bury my face between her legs, but I resisted. To me, that was more intimate than sex, and I didn't want to scare her. I continued stroking her folds, and moved to kiss her mouth.

She kissed me back, forcefully, as her hands swept down my back, resting on my hips and pulling my body against hers. She gasped my name as I kissed her neck, lingering at her pulse point. I lifted my head to watch her reaction, and rubbed my thumb over her clit. Her hips bucked against my hand, and she bit her lip, making the sweetest sounds. I felt pressure from her hands, trying to move my hips and center my body over her.

I needed to see her eyes, to know that her mind was aware of what her body was doing. Our gazes met, and her eyes were dark with desire, but they were clear and focused. She kissed me, bringing her hand between us, stroking my erection. I groaned at the contact, her delicate hand sliding over my sensitive skin.

"Jesus," I muttered, pulling my mouth from hers to assault her neck and clavicle. I knew I should let her take the next step, because there was no turning back, but I was dying to be inside of her, and my hips arched into her hand reflexively.

When I thought I couldn't take it anymore, she stopped, sliding the tip of my cock through her wet folds, to align me at her entrance. We both sighed, anticipating what was to come. She moved her hips, and that small inclination was the permission I was waiting for.

I kissed her, stroking her mouth with my tongue, as I slowly pushed in, feeling her stretch deliciously around me. Inch by inch, I advanced, holding my breath as I filled her. Then I paused, saying her name, and looking into her eyes, before I moved. I pulled back, immediately missing the feeling of being sheathed in her body, then thrust back in, as her hips came up to meet mine.

We moved together, finding a rhythm, breathing hard, her fingers digging into my back. Her body began to tighten around me, and she cried out. "Oh god. Oh god."

Her words spurred me on; I made hard, fast strokes and rubbed her clit until her body clamped down, pulsing around me. I adjusted her hips, changing the angle, and continued pushing into her, until my entire body tensed. Then with one final hard thrust, I came, buried inside her.

Exhausted, I relaxed on top of her for an second, before rolling us over so she snuggled along my side. I looked down at her face, flushed and radiant, smiling back at me. We were quiet, caressing each other slowly.

After a few minutes, she sat up on her elbows and gave me a quick, hard kiss. "_That_ was worth waiting for. I'll be right back."

She left before I could respond, disappearing into the bathroom for a few minutes. Then she grabbed my t-shirt off the floor, putting it on before turning off the lamp and coming back to bed. She stretched out next to me, leaning on an elbow, running her other hand lightly over my chest. She had a silly smile on her face.

I angled my neck to see her better. "What?"

"I don't know. I feel like I should say thank you or something."

"What?" I laughed. "You don't need to thank me. Are you okay? No regrets?"

She giggled. "No. None." Then she bent her head, kissing my chest.

"If you're going to start that, you shouldn't have put my shirt on." I teased her, and she looked up at me, her eyes wide. Shit. Stupid. I shouldn't have said that.

She shook her head and laughed, then climbed up, straddling my waist. She looked beautiful, leaning forward, her hands on my chest. Then she rotated her hips against me. "I guess you'll have to take it off."

"Fuck." It came out as a growl, and she was lucky I didn't tear the damn shirt off of her.

Much later, I fell asleep curled behind her.

**00oo00oo00**

**SPOV**

The couples massage was incredible. The two masseurs arrived, and I was thankful that they were fairly average looking women, not Swedish sex goddesses or something. The only thing "couple" about it was that we were on tables next to each other, but they were good massages.

Afterwards, we fired up the Jacuzzi tub and stretched out facing each other, playing footsie and talking.

We hadn't heard from anyone in two days. Our cell reception was questionable here, but we figured if anyone really needed us, they would know how to get a message to us through the resort. We hadn't seen any paparazzi, but Eric figured there were some pictures from tourists that had made it to the tabloids. And when we checked the internet, he was right. I had shrugged, at least they were flattering, what else could I do, really?

It was relaxing, doing nothing, and spending time together without any sort of schedule. We were enjoying our mini vacation, within his vacation, feeling rather isolated at the resort and in the surrounding area. I had given myself a little pep talk, convincing myself that if he wasn't freaked out about our relationship, shit, if that's what it was, I shouldn't be. We were adults, we could figure things out as they went, and enjoy our time together.

It was late afternoon, and we had driven to the tip of Old Mission Peninsula to see the lighthouse. We were relaxing on the beach. I was sitting on a blanket in the sand reading a book, and Eric was looking for Petoskey stones. We had seen some Petoskey stone jewelry in the gift shop at the resort. The sales person had gladly explained to Eric that the stones were actually fossilized pieces of coral, compressed into stone over time. They were shined up by jewelers and collectors for decoration and were the state stone.

Petoskey stones looked different when you found them on the beach, they had a dull gray pattern or polka-dotted look, which was much harder to recognize than you would think. I had grown up looking for them, and had a good eye for them, but sometimes I still wasn't sure. Eric had laughed at me when I licked a rock to test to see if I could see the six-sided shape of the coral, but it was the best way to check if you weren't sure. Now, he was wandering the beach, picking up rocks, and occasionally licking them, as he eyed them carefully.

I had his camera, and took some shots of him on the beach with the lighthouse in the background, and then some more with the water behind him. I needed to have him load them on his computer and email them to me so I had a copy of them. We'd gotten some nice pictures during the wine tour, and at Sleeping Bear Dunes near Leelanau. Eric had taken a lot of pictures, joking that I needed them, in case I ever lost my memories again. He had even asked an older couple to take our picture together at the lighthouse. He had to tell the gentleman how to use his digital camera, but it turned out great.

We had to leave in the morning, and I wasn't entirely looking forward to heading back to the real world. My memory was still like Swiss cheese. I could remember some things down to minute details, and other things were just, gone. Eric continued to ask me to go to the doctor, but since things were coming back slowly, I had decided I would just wait it out. Plus, from everything I read on the internet, if my memories were coming back, it was only a matter of time.

Eric came back and sat with me in the sand. He had a handful of Petoskey stones and was quite proud of himself. He was having a great time doing nothing on vacation. He'd told me that he needed to start looking over his script for the first episode of the new season of_ Bloodlust_, but he was waiting until we got back to Saugatuck to start. He lay back in the sand with a sigh.

"Tired, or hungry, or both?" We'd been together almost a week, and I felt like I knew him pretty well. It was sad, because at times, I felt like I knew him better than I knew myself.

"Both. Why do you get tired on vacation when you do nothing?"

"Because you can."

"Hm. Maybe. I can't believe I'm hungry, but I am. That breakfast was huge. I didn't think I'd eat again until tomorrow."

I laughed. "Well, we skipped lunch, and you've been out walking the beach for a while. Fresh air will do that to you." We'd had breakfast at Mabel's in Traverse City and the portions were huge.

Eric had talked about his stuffed hash-browns for hours, and I'd taken a picture of our food filled table so I could write a blog entry. It was a family restaurant, but sometimes those were the best places.

"Ungh." He groaned. "All this food we've been eating, I'm not used to it. I need to work out. I never go this long without going to the gym."

"After dinner?" I smiled, teasing him.

In a flash of movement, he pulled me down and rolled us over, trapping me beneath him, laughing. "Why do you always make fun of me?" He kissed me, slowly, his hips fitting themselves against mine.

"What? I think you've got that backwards!" We were grinning at each other, our noses almost touching. I was losing myself, floating in the sea of blue that was his eyes.

His lips barely brushed mine, but I felt it throughout my entire body. No matter what I couldn't remember, I knew, with absolute certainty that I had never felt this way about a man before. What I felt about him was consuming and all encompassing. I knew what he had been talking about on our drive up north. Sometimes, two people are just right together.

"I don't want to share you," I said quietly. He cocked his head at me and I continued. "Let's just stay here. I don't want to share you with Amelia, or Pam and Alcide."

He kissed me then, it was long and slow, and all of the things I felt about him wrapped up into a kiss.

"What about my brothers?"

"Your brothers?"

"Will you share me with them? They're coming in for a long weekend. They'll be here on Thursday."

"Really? I totally forgot." I pushed on his chest and we sat up, side by side, knees touching. He had told me that first night that they were coming out, but everything was such a blur since then that it had slipped my mind. "What are their names? They're younger, right?"

"Yeah. Christoffer is one year younger than me and Sven is four years younger."

"Wow. Why isn't your name as Swedish as theirs?"

"It is, actually. I'm named after a great uncle. It's spelled with a 'K' on my birth certificate, but my first agent hated it, so he made me use 'C' on my Screen Actors Guild card."

"That's crazy. Hollywood is strange. Where do your brothers live? What are you going to do?"

"Sven is in Colorado Springs and Chris is in Seattle. We are a pretty outdoorsy family. And what we, including you, are going to do, is hang out in Saugatuck a bit and go to a Cubs game."

"Oh, really? What if I don't like the Cubs?"

"Ah, but you do."

"How do you know? We haven't talked about baseball."

He laughed, and I wanted to punch him. "I'm sorry, Sookie. I have you at a disadvantage. I actually remember your blog entries."

"What? I blogged about it?"

"Yes. We'll look at it back at the condo. You love Chicago style hot dogs and said you have to have one every time you go to a Cubs game."

"Really? I mean, I remember Chicago dogs, but," I wrinkled my nose, "At the stadium?"

"You need to read the blog. It's not your favorite, it's a tradition."

"What do I do about traditions that I don't remember?"

He put his arms around me and I heard him exhale. "You continue the ones you remember, and make new ones. Like Fourth of July in Los Angeles."

"Yeah, I don't remember that." I laughed.

"Good, we'll start a new tradition together."

I sighed. It sounded too good to be true, but I hoped that it would be real. "Do they have hot dogs in L.A.? Apparently, I like them."

He laughed as he held me, slightly rocking us. "I know a great place."

**000ooo000ooo000ooo**

**A/N:**  
Oh my. Big things this chapter. I'm gonna guess that you all approve. Let me know what you think! :) MWUAH!

Here are a whole bunch of links related to this chapter - oh and I've added to the playlist as well, so you may want to check it out: http:/www(dot)playlist(dot)com/playlist/19133795851

Old Mission Lighthouse  
http:/www(dot)lighthousefriends(dot)?ID=713

Petoskey Stones  
http:/www(dot)bernardine(dot)com/gemstones/petoskey(dot)htm

Picture - polished Petoskey stones and an unpolished one at the bottom  
http:/4(dot)bp(dot)blogspot(dot)com/_mT0KW-GBRk8/S7KpFtBNRWI/AAAAAAAAAfw/FnfFWxNCtYs/s1600/rock2(dot)jpg

(Sleeping Bear Dunes)  
**The Legend of Sleeping Bear**  
Long ago, along the Wisconsin shoreline, a mother bear and her two cubs were driven into Lake Michigan by a raging forest fire. The bears swam for many hours, but eventually the cubs tired and lagged behind. Mother bear reached the shore and climbed to the top of a high bluff to watch and wait for her cubs. Too tired to continue, the cubs drowned within sight of the shore. The Great Spirit Manitou created two islands to mark the spot where the cubs disappeared and then created a solitary dune to represent the faithful mother bear.  
http:/www(dot)nps(dot)gov/slbe/historyculture/stories(dot)htm  
http:/www(dot)sleepingbeardunes(dot)com/

Chicago Style Hot Dogs  
http:/www(dot)hotdogchicagostyle(dot)com/


	12. What's in your Drawers?

**Title: Halo Effect  
Chapter 12:** **What's in Your Drawers?  
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and meet some Yoopers. **

**A/N:  
**As usual, big thanks to** A Redhead Thing **and** Sapfirerose. **Writing two stories at once has been kicking my ass, and these two are my super-cheerleading Wondertriplets that keep me motivated. Thanks ladies. Here's to you! (Lifts a Michigan beer in your honor!)

Have you read the **Dead Pan** entries? It's an anonymous contest, but I'll let you in a secret – one of them is mine. *wink* Go read and review and see if you can figure out which one I wrote! http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2231715/Dead_Pan_Contest

OH - two nights ago some of my fabulous writer friends posted some fics for my birthday! (It was last week, but with the release of Lover Mine and DITF we were all a little busy!) Stories have been posted by Seastarr08, evenflo78, A-Redhead-Thing, educatedguess, SweetSookie, and ohfortuneslost, greenlemons. *OH - when you view the community it looks empty, but it's an illusion. LOL Sort for fics rated M/or All Ratings and they all show up! Here's the link to the community -  
http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/community/Missus_Ts_Birthday_fics/81327/14/0/1/

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! The kids are getting ready to head home...and Pam is getting ready to make her 'announcement.' Let's join them, shall we?

00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00

**EPOV**  
We checked out and had lunch about an hour south of Traverse City and it was a bit of a wake up call. Heads turned when we entered the door, and there was a low murmur in the restaurant. It was like the universe knew we were coming home and people could start to interfere with us again. I signed autographs while we waited for our food, and took pictures with a couple of women that could have been my mother. Sookie sat patiently, taking it all in without a word.

Pam called when we were almost to Saugatuck. She had made our hotel reservations, so she knew we would be on our way back. Sookie was driving, so I answered, and put my hand over hers on the console.

"Northman. I hope you had a nice time up north. Are you ready to return to the limelight?"

"Sure, Pam. Whatever that means."

"It means, I confirmed to the press today that you are indeed dating Ms. Stackhouse. You are very happy and value your privacy, blah, blah, blah. So be prepared for more paparazzi, that is, if they feel like driving all the way there. But I'm sure some enterprising individuals will sell their pictures, whether the true paparazzi find you or not."

"It's alright. We don't have big plans. My brothers will be here in a few days. Did you get us Cubs tickets?"

"I did, you can pick them up at will-call. By the way, I'm hearing some strange things about Sophie Anne."

"Really? We haven't talked; we've just been playing phone tag."

"Well, don't call her for a couple of days; something is brewing. I don't know what's going on with her and that freak ex-boyfriend, but you don't need to be involved."

"Fine, whatever. I'll talk to you soon." I didn't know what the hell she was talking about, but I figured whatever was going on with Sophie Anne would play itself out with or without me. I was enjoying my time with Sookie way too much to really worry about her anyway.

I hung up and glanced at Sookie. She looked very Hollywood, with big black glasses dwarfing her face and her blond hair blowing, as we drove down the highway. "Who was it? Pam?"

"Yes. She talked to the press this morning, so be prepared for your phone to start ringing."

"Oh, hell." She giggled. "Maybe I'll just turn it off."

"I thought about that too."

We drove on, quietly. I was still amazed at how comfortable we were together. Being with Sookie felt natural, nothing was forced. There was something about her that put me at ease.

After a few minutes, she looked over at me, biting her lip. She was driving, so I couldn't lean over and kiss her the way I wanted to. That lip biting thing she did was so sexy.

"What?"

She sighed. "Can we go back to my place?"

I panicked for a moment, before I realized that she had said we. "Sure. What's going on?"

"I. Well, I should probably get used to staying there. You know? And, it would be easier with you there." I could tell she was almost embarrassed to say the last part, but it was endearing, and I knew it was true as well.

"Hey. It's fine. I kind of like being your security blanket. I'll run to the beach house in the morning and grab a few things."

"Do you have work to do?"

"Yes." I glanced back at her. "But it's just going over lines. I need to read through the whole episode again and then start learning my parts. You could help me."

"What?" She laughed.

"You can read some of the other parts. You know, like the Queen and Roxie, that human girl that I have the love/hate thing with."

"Oh, yeah. I don't know how Roxie stayed with that other vamp after she met you. Just tell me what to do, and I'll help."

We finished the drive, and I helped Sookie carry her things into the house. She wandered to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

She made a noise as she looked at the empty shelves. "I need groceries."

"Make me a list and I'll get them in the morning." She looked at me like I was crazy.

"Are you serious? After we moved in together, I don't think Bill ever got more than beer at the grocery store. And, I mean, do you grocery shop at home? Doesn't Alcide or someone do it for you?"

"Do you really think I have someone shop for me? Do I give you that impression?"

"No, you don't. It just surprised me that you offered." She put her arms around my waist. "I didn't mean to upset you. I don't think I'm used to anyone taking care of me."

I sighed. "I've been doing it for a week. You're just noticing?"

"No. You've been doing a good job." She laughed, and seemed to clear her head. "Okay, I'll make you a list. In the meantime, pizza for dinner?"

"Yeah. I'll go to the gym in the morning too."

We ate pizza and watched a movie on HBO, both tired from the drive. I was wondering what people thought about Pam's announcement today, but I didn't have the energy to fire up the laptop, and I didn't want to let go of the woman that was snuggling against me on the couch. Eventually, she rolled over and we began to kiss, making out on the couch with the flicker of the TV in the background, then we moved to the bedroom and made love.

It was so much better than having sex, and I was still reeling from that revelation. The first time we were together, it was sweet and romantic, almost worshipful, and it was fuckhot. Now I knew that everything, sexually speaking, was better with her. She did this little gasping, "Ahhh," thing, closing her eyes and biting her bottom lip just before she came, and it drove me mad. And her body! Jesus, we fit together perfectly, it was amazing. When I was inside of her, God it was intense, just thinking about it made me hard every time.

It was the thoughts like that, that scared the hell out of me. I was supposed to feel like that about someone I was in love with, someone I was going to marry. As I held Sookie, listening to her breathe, I tried to imagine us married, growing old, and the scariest thing, was that I could totally see it.

The sun was shining through her bedroom window when I woke up, and I was alone in the bed. I stretched, inhaling the rich smell of coffee. I wandered to the kitchen in my underwear. She was sitting at the table, holding a mug with both hands, reading something on her laptop. She looked up with a shy smile when she heard me coming into the room.

"Morning." My voice was rough, I wasn't really awake, but the bed was too big without her.

"Hi. Did you sleep okay?"

I poured a cup of coffee and walked behind her to take a seat, kissing the top of her head before I sat down. "I did, until I woke up alone."

She blushed. "Um, yeah. So, I'm reading my blog. It's good. I mean, I looked at it before with Amelia, but I'm looking at some of the older entries, like the one for Rose Angelis."

"They are good," I said, sipping my coffee. "You have a way with words, Sookie."

"Thank you."

She was always thanking me. I wondered if it was a habit, because Bill expected her appreciation all of the time, or if she truly wasn't used to having someone care about her and take care of her.

"Let me get you something to eat." She stood up and I joined her at the counter, making toast with peanut butter since we needed groceries. We ate, and talked about our plans for the day. We figured I would be home in time for lunch, so after waiting for her to make the list, and arguing that she didn't need to do my laundry. I gave her a toe curling kiss and headed out.

I didn't mind going to the store, honestly, but my ulterior motive was to let the press attack me on my own first. Since Pam made the announcement yesterday, there was bound to be paparazzi at my place, and they would pounce at the local store. I knew Pam didn't think there would be a problem here in Michigan, but I had a bad feeling. I went straight to the gym; I had a months pass. I did some circuit training and ran on the treadmill, trying to clear my head.

I drove to the beach house, and sure enough, when I turned onto my road, there were five guys standing near the mailbox smoking cigarettes. I sighed, and considered telling them not to litter. The cameras flashed, and they yelled their questions as I drove by. I walked across the bridge without looking or turning around, only giving them pictures of my back.

When I got inside, I broke down and called Pam; she was always up before the sun anyway. I had been too tired to think about looking at the internet the night before to see the reaction to our announcement. I didn't usually care what people were saying about me, but this time I was concerned about what they were saying about Sookie.

She answered with her normal one word salutation, "Ravenscroft."

"Northman, here." I imitated her. "How are things?"

"Oh, Jesus. You're worrying like a little school girl aren't you? That's my job. Well, the school girl part." I could almost see the smirk on her face. "It's fine. Mostly positive comments about you and your little girlfriend. A few jealous fan-girls, but I expected nothing less. Mostly they are happy for you and excited that you found someone that is; A) not from Hollywood and B) not a stick figure or a bobble-head."

"That's good, right?"

"Yes. What the fuck has gotten into you? You're never unsure of yourself."

I sighed. "I'm not unsure of myself. I just don't want her to get bad press or get attacked by vicious fan-girls."

"Well, that's unavoidable big boy. You should have thought about that before you dragged her to your house like a fucking caveman."

"I don't regret it Pam. What you told the press, it's not a line. We're together."

Silence.

"Pam?"

"I'm sorry, I thought I heard you speaking in tongues."

"Why is it okay if it's a fake relationship, but not if it's real?"

"Because if it was fake I already had your damn break-up scripted."

"Jesus, Pam. You're such a bitch."

"And you pay me to be a big one." I heard her honk the horn and complain about the traffic. "Listen, you know me, I'll roll with the punches and deal with whatever you throw at me. Just be careful with this. You can't relocate to Michigan and have an acting career, okay?"

"I'm aware of that Pam. We'll deal with it, somehow."

"Fine. I'm not commenting on anything else about you or her, other than asking the press to give you privacy. They know you met through her blog, and the hits on that are going to go through the roof. She might want to post an update, by the way, it's been a few weeks since she added anything."

"She knows, and by the way, when did you start reading her blog? Anyway, we took some pictures at restaurants while we were up north, and she jotted down some ideas."

"I have to read her blog, now that she's part of this subterfuge."

"Subterfuge. Nice."

"Listen. I have work to do, you know, managing your career?" She took on a friendlier tone. "Relax, Eric. Things are fine. I'll call you later if there's anything you need to know."

I sighed. "Alright. Thanks, Pam."

"You're welcome. Oh, and I'm getting some events set up for when you get home. Some parties and what-not to attend. I'll email you a schedule."

"Just keep the weekend of the Fourth of July open."

"I'm not even going to ask. Goodbye."

Doing a quick sweep of the house, I threw some clothes in a bag and grabbed my _Bloodlust_ script. I didn't need much; no matter what I had said, Sookie insisted on doing my laundry. I grabbed some Gatorade and headed out.

A caravan of three cars followed me, and I was glad that I had come by myself, and especially glad that I hadn't sent Sookie to the store. I kept my sunglasses on as I briskly walked through the parking lot, but I knew leaving the store would be worse because they would have time to set up.

Pulling out the list Sookie had written, I walked the aisles and loaded the cart. I added a couple of things for myself, like pretzels and Snapple. I was impressed to find some Greek yogurt, so I got some of that, and I threw crackers and hummus in the buggy for good measure. A few heads turned in the store, but no one got crazy, well except for the cashier, who was all of about seventeen. She had a slight southern accent, Texas if I had to guess, and her hands shook as she rang up my purchases. She was sweet, with a shy smile, and a studious look about her.

As she scanned my items, I nodded at her I.D. badge, "Missie, right?" I autographed a sales flier, making it out to her. She turned beet red when I handed it to her, thanking me repeatedly, telling me how much she loved _Bloodlust, _and that she had attended a movie premiere I was at in Austin before she moved to Michigan. I let her take a self-portrait of us on her cell phone, and headed out.

I exhaled and headed for the parking lot. I knew the paparazzi would still be out there, and I bent my head like I was walking into the wind, pushing the cart ahead of me. As I loaded the car, they stayed across the row from me, keeping a decent distance, and I wondered who these tools were that had stayed in Michigan after the festival to try to get my pictures, instead of going back to California. Maybe they were local freelance photographers, it was hard to say, but they hurled questions at me with total disregard for my privacy. They were probably from Cali. I put the cart in the corral and headed back to Sookie's, with the convoy of photographers behind me.

**SPOV**  
My cell rang about an hour after Eric left. Caller I.D. said it was Lafayette, and I knew why he was calling. I was kind of shocked that Amelia hadn't burst through my backdoor already too.

"Hey, Laf."

"Thaz all you have to say to me?"

I laughed. "Um, no. I guess you heard the announcement."

"Heard the announcement? Girl, I been tellin' ev'ryone I know that my girl Sookie is givin' that vampire a taste of her!"

"Lafayette! You wouldn't!" I laughed.

We were still talking when Eric walked in. Lafayette had been reading to me, and commenting as only he could, on the internet posts about Eric's press statement. I had a feeling he skipped over some posts that weren't so nice to me but he had me in stitches.

I finished the call, and helped Eric put away the groceries, telling him some of the comments on the internet. We made sandwiches and sat in the living room to eat. When we were done, Eric suggested we look through the chest of drawers near the front window to see what I remembered. I really appreciated it; everything was so much easier when he was with me.

Item by item, we went through the contents. Among other things, there were souvenir decks of cards from family vacations, cribbage boards, drink coasters, blankets, photo albums, and books. I remembered a few things, but what I didn't, Eric had decided to make up stories about. He explained that the ugly crocheted afghan had been made by a great aunt. We were laughing, and flipping through a photo album. The pictures were great reminders, but there were still some things I didn't recognize.

Eric was spinning a tale about my senior prom, since all I could remember from the picture was that my date's name was John Quinn, and I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe when Amelia finally showed up.

"Hello, there!" She called looking through the screen door at us.

We must have been a sight, odds and ends spread out around us, sitting on the floor, laughing.

"Hey, Meelz! Come on in. Where's Tray?"

"He went to Grand Rapids to pick up a part from some guy." She waved her hand. "Whatever. He'll be back later. What's up with you kids? Big news, eh?" She grinned.

"Well, it wasn't really news to us." Eric chimed in.

"Not to me either, Romeo. How are your fans taking it?"

He shrugged, like he didn't care, but I knew he did. It would have bothered him if people were upset, but I'm not sure what he would have done about it. "I'm sure there are some disgruntled women."

"Disgruntled?" I snorted. "Some of your stalkers are downright livid." I regretted it as soon as I said it. The look on his face, it was like I'd staked him in the heart. "Hey," I reached out and put my hand on his, "It's nothing."

Amelia's eyes moved back and forth between us, and I knew that that she saw right through me. She knew that Eric and I were sleeping together, that I had fallen for him, and that his celebrity terrified me. I looked back at her, and she nodded, almost imperceptibly. She knew to keep her mouth shut in front of Eric, that these were things she and I would discuss when we were alone, and had a drink in our hands.

"So, what exactly are you two doing?" She smiled, changing the subject.

"Jogging her memory."

"Well, trying to." I added.

"Is it working?"

He smiled, and I said, "Sort of."

"Well, alrighty then. You guys staying here for a few days?"

"I think so. I need to get used to this place."

"My brothers will be here Thursday. We're all going to a Cubs game on Friday. You and Tray want to come?"

"Oh! We'd love to! Yum, Chicago dogs. I'll be sure to tell Tray so he doesn't schedule any big repairs for Friday. He likes to be the boss."

I giggled, totally picking up the innuendo. "So. Did you come to say hi, or did you need something? I mean, 'hi' is great, but what's up?"

"Actually, I came to see if I could steal you for a while tomorrow. I was going to go over to the mall, and you know how I always need a second opinion on things."

I looked at her blankly; I didn't remember that at all. How could I remember that she was my best friend and know that she could read me like a book, understanding what I felt about Eric without a word, but I couldn't remember that?

"Anyway," she continued. "I was waiting for you to get up here to buy some new summer clothes."

"Um. Yeah, that sounds good." I glanced at Eric. "We didn't have any plans. Eric was going to start going over his script, so I'd love to come."

"Great, so I'll just come over in the morning?"

"Sounds good."

"Cool. You kids have fun. Eric, see you later. "

He called out good-bye and caught my eye. "You okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Sook."

"Okay." I sighed. "So it bothers me that I don't remember that she needs a second opinion when she shops. I should know that." It came out sounding like a whine.

"It's not a big deal. You remember that she's your best friend, right? Isn't that the important thing?"

"I guess so." It really wasn't a big deal, it was just one more little thing, and I wanted to remember it.

"Come here." He patted his lap. "Let me tell you about the tea set on the shelf over there. Your Gran bought it on a trip to England."

"She did?" I giggled, and moved over to sit inside the circle of his arms. Bless him, for pulling me out of my self-pity.

"Of course." He rubbed my back. "Unless you think she got it somewhere else?"

"No, I think you're right. What did my Gran do in England?"

I had no idea where the teapot had come from. I laid my head on his shoulder, listening to him tell a story about my grandmother and a tea vendor named Thomas who sold her a Wedgwood teapot.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00

**A/N:**  
My love for this Eric grows with each little sweet thing he does. GAH. Making up stories about the stuff in Sook's house? I love him. So, clearly he has some strong feelings for our girl. Thoughts? How do you think she feels? I think this time away with Amelia is going to be pretty good for Sooks.

Leave me some review love! I 3 Reviews, and I 3 U! MWUAH!

OH- and go read Dead Pan and my Birthday stories!


	13. Nice Girls Run Away From Crazy

**Title: Halo Effect  
Chapter 13:** **Nice Girls Run Away from Crazy  
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and send them to my favorite restaurants. **

**A/N:**  
Thanks so much for your reviews! These two are just, so cute I wanna pinch their cheeks!

So, if for some reason it has taken you great effort to get to this chapter (failed links, etc), just know that it's not me but the wacked out FF site. It's been doing it since yesterday and it's highly irritating. Sorry.

BIG Thanks to **A Red Head Thing** and **Sapfirerose** for prereading and betaing this puppy. We're having so much fun as wondertriplets! ;) Red just posted a new chapter of her story I'm on Fire, go check it out: http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5648357/11/  
And all three of us are entered in the Dead Pan contest - please go read and review the entries! It's anonymous, so see if you can figure out which one is mine! Hee hee! http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2231715/Dead_Pan_Contest

000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000  
**SPOV**  
I had turned my phone off after talking to Lafayette. It had been ringing constantly, with a string of, "Oh, my God! Why didn't you tell me?" messages. I played them back in the morning over coffee and I laughed at most of them, but there was one that made me fume.

"Susannah." _My name is Sookie, asshole._ "I've seen the latest pictures of you and your boyfriend. I must say, well played. I had no idea that your devastated little housewife bit was all an act to get even more money from me. You're a gold-digging whore, and trust me; I'm saving every one of these clippings for any future proceedings. Bitch."

My eyes teared up and Eric grabbed my phone to listen to the message. He was furious and apologetic at the same time; his jaw was tight and his eyes stormy. I thought he might be more upset than I was.

"Eric, it's okay. He's an ass. It just took me by surprise. I mean, he's just hurt that I was able to move on and find someone better when he's stuck with Lorena." I had no idea where that came from, but I actually meant it. I did however, save the message on my phone.

"How dare he? I can't believe he would say those things about you. You trust _me_ Sookie, he will not smear you in the papers. I'll make sure of that."

"He's not going to do anything. He's a child, and he's just lashing out." At least I thought he was. From what I remembered, Bill was all talk. I sighed and took my mug to the sink. Putting a hand out, I tried to smile at Eric. "I'm getting in the shower. Are you coming?"

He looked startled, and then broke into a grin. "I wouldn't miss it, Lover."

00oo00

A little while later, Amelia and I escaped a group of paparazzi at the end of my driveway and headed to the mall.

She was wide eyed as she drove out of town. "Seriously? That's crazy."

"Yeah."

"Did you hear them? They were shouting your name. Do you think I'm going to end up in a magazine or on the internet? Ohmyfuckinggod. That would be soooo cool!"

"Amelia."

"Oh, right. Yeah. That's just wild though. I mean, Ruben told me he helped Eric walk you to the car from the club, but...Wow."

We had a great morning shopping; Amelia really did need my help. She couldn't pick out clothes for herself to save her life. I truly considered calling those people from _'What Not to Wear.' _We laughed and talked, remembering some of the fun summers we had together, with her filling me in on things I still didn't recall.

I'd been waiting for it all day, but we were driving home when she finally asked what was going on with me and Eric.

"Gah. I don't know, Meelz."

"How do you feel about him? One word."

I wrinkled up my face. "Love?" It was the only word that described what I thought I was feeling, but could it really be love?

"Okay, that shouldn't be a question. You either feel it or you don't."

"I think I do, but how do I know? I don't remember half of anything! What if I just feel this way because he's all that I know?"

"You're joking, right?" She looked at me, and realized I was serious. "Shit. You're not. Alright, that's crazy talk, Sookie. I hate to break it to you, but if you think you love him, you do. Anyway, how's the sex?" She glanced over at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh my god, Amelia. You have no idea."

"I probably do, you just don't remember." I looked at her, confused. She shrugged. "I used to get around."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Anyway, so it's that good? I believe it. He looks like he could -"

I interrupted her, laughing. "Stop. You're right, he can. Let's leave it at that."

"What about everything else? You've always been into communicating. You used to say that was one of the big problems with Bill; that he didn't listen to you."

"Eric's a great listener. And he's been taking care of me. I mean, how many people would take in a strange amnesiac and spend their vacation with her?"

"That's one interpretation."

I snorted. "Whatever. He's genuinely kind too, it's amazing really. I keep having to stop myself from thanking him for the sweet things he does."

"Oh fuck. I hated that, the way you always thanked Bill for shit."

"Why did I do that?"

She looked at me like I had completely lost my mind. I actually thought she was going to pull the car over. "You did it, because Bill was an ass, because he would pout if you weren't constantly praising him. If you didn't thank him for opening the fucking door for you he would sulk. I think after a while it was just a habit."

"And I put up with that? What kind of dishrag was I?"

She reached over and patted my hand. "You were a damn cute dishrag. One who was just starting to come to her senses when she found out that her douchey husband was actually a cheating douchebag."

"Thanks."

"That's what I'm here for." She smiled. "Don't start thanking Hollywood for everything. I don't think he expects it, or needs it for that matter."

"I know. I can tell he's doing things for me because he wants to, not just so that I'll thank him or think more of him."

"He's a hell of a guy, Sookie. He's way more down to Earth than I ever expected."

"Yeah, he's pretty great."

"What's the big picture? Since, although you can't admit it, you're in love with him."

I laughed. Amelia was so upfront with everything. "I don't know yet. He asked me to come to California for Fourth of July, but that's as far as we've gotten."

"You know he can't stay here, right? At least not year round."

"I know." I nodded, thinking to myself that for things to work, I would have to make some compromises, hell, some big changes. I laughed out loud and Amelia glanced over in question. "It's so crazy. I mean, this is perfect timing. It's not like I'm settled in here. If I wanted to pack up the car and move to California, I could totally do it."

"There _are_ restaurants out there to blog about."

I smiled. "I already thought of that."

"Are you going to tell him that you're thinking about it?"

"Probably not until he asks."

She shook her head. "Why is it that when people date they lose their common sense? Communication, Sookie. Tell him. Don't wait for him to ask."

"That's easy for you to say. What if he doesn't want me to come to California? What if this really is just a summer fling for him?"

"Those are questions you need to ask Eric. And sweetie, I suggest you ask them sooner than later."

The next few days flew by. Pam emailed several times; telling Eric about parties she wanted him to attend when he returned to California, but for the most part it was uneventful. Bill hadn't called back, thank god. Eric's brothers had been calling to finalize plans, and I could tell he was excited to see them. He and I were even more comfortable with each other, and were getting into a routine. We spent time together and were beginning to settle into coupledom, but we still did our own things. We sunbathed together a couple of times, but he had no problem giving me a kiss and leaving me to soak in the sun while he did other things. In the evenings, he studied his scripts and went to the gym while I worked on my blog or sorted through closets and drawers at the house.

Late Tuesday, or early Wednesday, however you wanted to look at it, we were woken up by Eric's cell phone. He sat up, rubbing his face, and seemed really confused as he listened, not just because he was half asleep. He looked at me furtively, "Wait? What?" He stood, and quickly walked to the living room, completely naked.

I heard him murmuring on the phone for about five minutes, and then it was silent. After another five minutes, when he hadn't come back to bed, I got up to check on him. He was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. Something was very wrong.

"Eric?" His head snapped up. He looked like he was in pain, and I felt an ache in my chest. "What is it? Is everyone okay?"

He opened his mouth, and had to clear his throat before he spoke. "Everyone is fine. Come sit down."

I stood still, afraid to hear whatever it could be.

"Please, come sit. We need to talk."

Walking over, I sat tentatively on the couch next to him. He took my hand and looked into my eyes; what I saw there wasn't reassuring.

"That was Pam." He shook his head. "Shit. This is so bizarre. I don't even know what to say."

"You're scaring me."

"I'm sorry." He raked a hand through his hair. "So, it's only 11 p.m. in California, and Pam called because something weird just happened."

"Involving you?"

"Apparently." He muttered, sighing, and shook his head again, like he couldn't believe what he was about to say. "Sophie Anne went into Chateau Marmont a little while ago, and she said something crazy."

"Oh-kay."

"Someone asked how she was enjoying being single, and she said she wasn't; single that is." He met my eyes. "She told them we were dating."

"What?" Why would she do that? It wasn't true. Pam had just announced that Eric and I were a couple. He hadn't even talked to Sophie Anne.

"She was kind of drunk, but that's what she said." I opened my mouth to say something about how ridiculous it was and he interrupted me. "There's more. She played them one of my voice-mails on speaker phone. You know, it was pretty vague, but I said that I hoped she was alright and I'd talk to her later."

"That doesn't mean anything!" I was being supportive on the outside, but I had no idea how. On the inside I was freaking out. What the hell was going on? This was bad. The whole summer fling idea was to protect him from looking like a womanizer, now he looked like a cheating bastard.

"Pam's trying to figure out what's going on. She's issuing a denial, and I might to have to say something publicly." He looked at his hands. "I'm so sorry."

"Do you need to go back to California?" I couldn't decide how I wanted him to answer.

"No! I mean, no. I want to stay here, with you, if you're still okay with that."

Was I? Sophie Anne was lying through her teeth, I didn't doubt that, but did I want to be a part of this mess anymore? Would this be what my life was like if I went to California; a constant fight against bad press and psycho Hollywood drama? The more I thought about things, I knew that I wanted Eric, but I wasn't sure I could handle the rest of it.

He squeezed my hand. "Sookie? Do you want me to stay?" He looked sick. I didn't know if it was because he was afraid of my answer, or if the whole situation hand turned his stomach.

I gazed into his eyes for a long second. "I want you to stay Eric, but this scares the hell out of me. I don't know if I can do this long term."

He snorted. "No one wants to do this long term." He rubbed his face and sighed again. "Sookie, I understand what you're saying, really. Just, please don't give up on us."

I nodded, and we looked at each other for a few seconds. "I'm tired. I'm going back to bed." Who was I kidding? I wanted to curl up in ball and cry my eyes out.

He kept hold of my hand as I stood, and raised his face to look at me as I stood in front of him. He didn't say a word, he didn't need to, he wanted me to tell him it would be okay, that I wouldn't give up, and even though I wanted to, I couldn't say it.

I pulled on his hand, and he stood, following me back to the bedroom where we climbed in bed and he spooned himself around me. When I thought he was asleep, I finally let the sob I'd been holding in escape my chest. His arms tightened around me and more tears rolled down my face.

"It's going to be okay, Sookie. We're going to be fine."

My thoughts continued to swirl, and though I must have, I don't know how I fell asleep. I woke in the morning feeling sick. Eric was holding my hand and I could tell by the tension in his fingers that he was awake. Even though I wanted to get up and go into the bathroom to hide, I rolled over to face him.

"Hi."

"Hi. Did you sleep?" I touched the puffy skin under is eye.

"Not much." He sighed. "Sookie, I am so sorry that you are mixed up in this."

"You didn't do this."

"I know, but none of this would have happened if it weren't for me."

"Eric, I'm glad that it happened, that we've spent time together. I just don't know if I can handle everything that comes with you." I felt like we were in a warped version of the movie _Notting Hill_. I knew I should be looking at him like he was any other man, but unfortunately, there was more to consider; like my heart. "Just give me some time. I'm not saying that I want you to leave, because I don't. I just need to think."

"I understand." He kissed my forehead and I felt horrible for him, because none of this was his fault.

We spent an awkward morning trying to act like things were fine. Pam called when we were finishing lunch, telling us to check the internet to watch the footage of Sophie Anne. We watched the unreal scene unfold, a drunken starlet wobbling as she exited a limo, taking the arm of a friend to steady herself as she walked towards the building. The conversation played out between her and a photographer in less than a minute, including Eric's voice-mail, and then she staggered away from the press. The article flanking the embedded video stated that her reps hadn't responded to requests for comments; while Eric's people, or Pam, really, was denying any relationship outside of their friendship as coworkers. Further, she pointed out, that the message was vague and meant nothing.

Eric had Pam on speaker phone, so when the video finished, she cleared her throat and spoke. "So, her people are not returning my calls. However, Gothboys' people called me right away. He is 'indisposed' and has not been taking calls from anyone, including Sophie Anne. If I had to guess, he's back at Choices Malibu drying out again. Anyway, they think this is her attempt to make him jealous and the two of you are collateral damage."

"Okay. So what do we do next?" I wasn't used to this, spinning stories for the press, business. Eric grabbed my hand, and Pam sighed, loudly.

"I'm glad to hear you still saying _we_; that will help us. The two of you need to make some public appearances and you need to appear as corny and in-lust with each other as you have been. It would also be nice if you had your lawyer make a statement. You know, say that her claims are ridiculous and you were with Eric when he left the message, and that you trust him completely. Ithink that about covers it."

"Did you need me to go to the studio and tape something?"

Pam cackled. "Studio? I'm not sure this can wait until you get back."

"There are studios here. The closest is Grand Rapids, or we could have someone come out to the house."

"No, we've made our statement. When you get hounded, you can stick with the standard 'No comment,' and throw in a 'We're very happy, thanks.' Oh, and a little PDA would be nice. I'll call you if anything else comes up. I'm going to stalk Sophie Anne's people some more. You know how I feel about people who don't return my calls."

"yeah, that I do." He laughed.

"Goodbye, Pam. I'll call my attorney."

"I knew you would." I snorted, despite how bitchy she sounded, and she disconnected the call.

Eric cleared his throat. "I guess we should go to dinner tonight."

"Yeah. I'm going to call Sid Matt Lancaster, my attorney, then work on my blog. I'll think of somewhere to go." I walked to the kitchen feeling a little lost.

**EPOV**  
I was tired. Tired of the bullshit, and the drama. More than anything, I was tired of being alone. After being with Sookie for even this short time, the thought of going back to my lonely house and my plastic life turned my stomach. The sad thing was that I wasn't even into the 'star' lifestyle. I avoided it as much as I could, but being with her, I could let my guard down, I could be Erik, and I rarely got to be him anymore.

She made her phone call and I listened to the cadence of her voice. I couldn't hear the words, just the tone and the tempo. I couldn't imagine what she'd told Sid Matt, although from what she'd told me about him when she remembered the details of her divorce, I was sure he'd been expecting her call. After a while, the sounds of her voice ceased and I began to hear the clicking of her keyboard. I tried to read over my script, but I couldn't concentrate. I kept reading the same section over and over.

Amelia came over and Sookie went outside to sit on the stoop with her. They talked quietly for a while, and I felt like a complete ass. Amelia gave me a smile and a wave before she left. I figured that meant she didn't hate me for dragging Sookie's name through, well, whatever the hell was going on. Sookie went back into the kitchen and I heard the sounds of her typing again.

My phone rang and I groaned. It was Sam, and I was due for a great big I-fuckin'-told-you-so.

"Hello."

"Hello. Is this the two timing dumb shit?"

"Hey, Sam. You know it's bullshit, but go ahead and say what you're going to say."

"Let's see. What could I have to say to you? Oh, wait, I remember. Told you so."

"Thanks. You actually just made me laugh."

"Dude. When you introduced me to her on set, I told you Sophie Anne was a big bag of crazy. You tried to say it was just her boyfriend."

"Yeah. I remember the conversation."

"Let's just recap. I'm enjoying the fact that I was right. I told you crazy attracts crazy, but you said, 'No. She's a nice girl.' Then what did I tell you? I said, 'Nice girls run away from crazy, but that chick, she's cozyin' up to the crazy campfire, and it's not going to end well.' Now look what's happened. She's dragged your ass into crazyland."

"Thanks for that walk down memory lane. Did you just call to rub my face in it?"

He sighed. "No. I really called to say I was sorry she's being such a bitch and to see how you and Sookie were doing, but I had to get the rest of that off my chest."

We talked for a while and I told Sam that Sookie wasn't upset with me; she knew there was nothing between me and Sophie Anne, but she wasn't sure about the "Hollywood" interference in my life.

He knew how much that sucked. He and Daphne had gone several rounds about Hollywood drama when they first got married, but in the end she loved Sam too much to let it get in the way. I hoped that Sookie would feel the same way.

I checked my watch around four o'clock, and realized that the kitchen was quiet. I set my things down and went to see if she'd decided where she wanted to go to dinner. Stopping in the doorway, I leaned against the frame and smiled. She was sleeping, with her head on her arms at the table. I watched her for a moment, and then went over to her, putting my hand on her shoulder.

Sookie murmured something and put her hand over mine. She sat up and stretched, and it was like the last twelve or so hours hadn't happened. She looked at me, and I watched the smile slip away from her eyes.

"Do you know where you want to go to dinner?"

"Oh, yeah. Let's go to The Curragh in Holland, it's an Irish pub. Holland is like twenty minutes north, it's not far."

I nodded. "Okay. That sounds good."

"I'll grab a shower." She pulled her hand from mine and went to the other room. No matter what I wanted, I knew better than to join her.

I was more than shocked that there weren't any photographers outside her house when we left. We drove up to Holland, barely talking. I was going to need to lay my feelings out. She said that she needed to think, but she didn't have all of the information.

We drove down 8th Street looking for a parking place when I saw the crowd as she pointed out the restaurant. "What the?"

"I told Sid Matt. I'm sure he told Pam where we'd be tonight."

"Sookie, you didn't need to do that."

"Eric, whatever is happening, they can't think you're cheating on me. Your reputation is important to your career. People feel like they actually know you. I can't have them think badly of you when it's not true, especially if there's something I can do about it."

I thanked her, and she blushed. Walking around the Jeep, I opened her door and she took my hand as we walked up the block. Flashes started going off as we approached the restaurant, and I noticed that Sookie had already learned to put her head down, hiding her face. That pissed me off. She should never feel like she needed to hide. As we walked through the gauntlet, photographers began yelling their questions.

"Are you together?"

"Did you hear what Sophie Anne said?"

"Are you cheating on Sookie?"

My favorite was the guy who asked if I was cheating on Sophie Anne. Asshole. I _really_ wanted to hit him.

Sookie and I pushed though them without a word. The hostess looked a little overwhelmed, but she was friendly and led us to a table away from the windows. I thanked her profusely.

We looked at the menu. Things were still a little awkward between us, but I was encouraged that she had made the move to hold my hand. Sookie ordered a crazy drink that they called a Black Apple, it turned out to be a Black and Tan made with Strongbow cider beer instead of Bass Ale, and Guinness. I went for straight Guinness draught, since they actually seemed to know how to pour it. We ordered two helpings of bangers and mash, and laughed because we both wanted the same thing. It seemed to break the ice, and we talked quietly until the food came.

Sookie had another drink after dinner, and then we decided to head home since there wasn't any live music. We paid the tab and headed for the door. I asked Sookie where she wanted me, and she pulled me behind her. I put my hands on her shoulders, and we went out into the throng of paparazzi. They hurled the same questions at us and crowded in, effectively cutting off our path down the sidewalk. I knew enough to know that they wanted me to get mad, so I didn't let my irritation show.

"Excuse us." I kept my hands on Sookie's shoulders and we stopped walking, which could have been a big mistake, but we caught a break as a photographer seemed to get jostled out of the way, and slipped through the crack between people.

"That wasn't bad," she said quietly as we walked away from them.

"No. Not really. You know I hate it, right?"

She sighed. "I do."

I opened her door, and before stepping in, she turned to me. "Thank you for dinner." She stood on her tiptoes and gave me a kiss, but it wasn't the kiss I was expecting.

With everything that was going on, I thought she would give me a sweet peck, but she wrapped her arms around my neck and really kissed me. I was shocked. My arms went around her, as I kissed her back. I vaguely realized that there were flashes going off behind us. Had she kissed me for a photo op? Was she just doing it for the cameras? I pulled back, looking down into her eyes, she looked sexy as hell and she was grinning at me. What the hell did it mean? "Sookie?"

"Let's go home," she said quietly. I walked around to the driver's side, still unsure what what was going on in her head.

I climbed into the Jeep, and we got out on the road. Sookie took my hand, and I relaxed, tension melted off my shoulder. I glanced at her. "What are you thinking?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I'm thinking about how much I enjoy being with you. How much I hate those photographers. How I'm going to miss you. Oh, and I'm plotting evil revenge on Sophie Anne for you."

"Wow. Are you sure you're not reading my mind?"

She laughed, and it sounded wonderful. We didn't talk about it anymore, instead discussing the plans to pick my brothers up at the airport. We watched some TV when we got home and then got ready for bed. I didn't want to assume that we were still sleeping together, but she hadn't said anything differently. I took my time brushing my teeth, and let her get into bed first. I stood in the doorway and she smiled.

"Come on. It's warm in here."

Crawling under the covers, I rolled over to face her. I exhaled and figured it was time to jump off the cliff. "Sookie, I don't know how you feel about me. I mean, I know you're trying to figure things out, but I need to tell you something."

"Okay."

"I don't want to go back to California without you. I know that I have to, but I don't want to. I don't want to go home and be alone. After being with you, I don't want to be with anyone else. I hate the drama as much as you do; unfortunately, I'm just used to it. Shit. I think what I want to say, is if you want to be with _me_, I'll do whatever I can to help make the other stuff easier. If you want me to come here when I'm not filming, and if you don't ever want to come to Los Angeles, we'll figure it out. I'm falling in love with you. I can't believe all of this bullshit is happening when I finally found you." I moved a lock of hair over her shoulder and smiled. "I don't expect you to say anything. I just needed to you to know."

"Eric. I'm falling for you too, and I want to be able to ignore that stuff, but I'm scared. What if I can't get used to it?" She sighed. "Why is this so hard?"

I was gazing down at her, feeling a million times better that she said she was falling for me too, but hating that she was so uncertain. "I don't know, Sookie. I wish I could make it easier for you."

She rolled over, and snuggled against me in her favorite spoon position. "Just hold me. I feel better when your arms are around me."

000ooo000ooo000ooo000  
**A/N: **  
Okay, so if you hadn't picked up on the hints, sorry to shock you with a sprinkling of angst in there. If you know me, you know that I can't drag it on very long, and it will all come back to a HEA (happily ever after). (*Shut it. I know LOF has been sad for a while, it just worked out that way, I've been crying along with all of you! But now all is well! LOL*)

But – oh! Don't you love Sam and Amelia in this chapter? Sapfirerose and I will be saying "cozyin' up to the crazy campfire" all week!

So - are you excited to meet the brothers? I am! *rubs hands together* I'm so excited for the next few chapters! Drop me some reviews/comments and I'll love you forever! I may consider giving you my first born - because she's making me nuts! Tee hee! Just kidding.

The Curragh  
http:/curraghholland(dot)com


	14. Northman Canoodling, Despite Drama

**Title: Halo Effect  
Chapter 14:** _**Northman Canoodling, Despite Drama**_**  
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and send them to my favorite restaurants. **

**A/N:**  
Big thanks as always to my other thirds - A Redhead Thing and Sapfirerose.  
I give you the brothers Northman. I love all three of them!

*~*~*~*~*  
**SPOV**  
I woke up in the morning practically clutching Eric. I had an arm thrown over his stomach, a leg between his, and my face on his chest. My neck hurt like hell, and I had no idea how I ended up in that position. I sighed and raised my head to look at him, resting my chin on his pec. He was sleeping, and I watched him for a moment, thinking about what he'd said the night before.

I'd been over it in my head a thousand times. I had lain awake in his arms, hearing it over and over. "_I'm falling in love with you_." I should have been on cloud nine. I should have attacked him and had hot monkey sex until we collapsed in a pile of exhausted muscles, but instead I said something lame, like, "I think I'm falling for you too, but I'm scared." It was because of Sophie Anne's stupid media stunt, and I hated what it had done to us.

"Hey," he said, rubbing his hand up and down my back as he woke up. "Good morning."

"Hi." I couldn't help but smile. He looked so good lying there, and I felt so content with him. "I get to meet your brothers today."

"Yeah, you do." He smiled. "They're going to like you."

"You think?"

"Of course." He kissed my forehead, and I smiled. I wanted things to be normal between us. We were quiet, smiling at each other for a few minutes. Hesitantly, he asked, "Are we okay?"

I sat up on my elbow; honesty was the best policy, right? "I really want us to be." I sighed, closing my eyes as his hand ghosted up my back.

He whispered my name and I opened my eyes to see his face angled in front of mine, his lips all but brushing mine. I held his gaze, as I closed the distance between us. Our lips met and he kissed me slowly, warmth spreading through my body. I slid my tongue along his, then stroked it and sucked gently. Eventually, he pulled back, and gently kissed my nose.

"I'm not giving up," I said softly. He nodded, and smiled. I bit my lip, hesitating for a second. "Shower?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Am I invited?"

I nodded and sat up on my knees. He shook his head, grinning, and I realized I had struck a sex kittenish pose on accident. I hopped off the bed, and reached for his hand, leading him to the small bathroom.

Showered and sated, we sat in the kitchen eating cereal and sipping coffee, while he checked his email. I smiled over my mug, watching him and thinking that shower sex with Eric could replace my first cup of coffee any day.

"Oh, that's a nice picture." He chuckled.

"What is it of?"

"You, kissing me last night."

"What!" I stood and moved to look over his shoulder at the computer. Pam had sent him a link to the tabloid website _Just Jared_, and Eric was reading the article next to a picture of us kissing outside the car near Curragh.

00oo00

_**Northman Canoodling, Despite Drama**__  
Bloodlust_ hottie **Eric Northman** continues to vacation in Michigan. He was spotted last night dining at **The Curragh** Irish Pub in Holland, Michigan with his admitted girlfriend, the recently divorced **Sookie Stackhouse**. Questions remain regarding the star and his involvement with costar **Sophie Anne LeClerq**, who last week had a falling out with her on again, off again goth-rock boyfriend **Blackhart** (a.k.a. Kevin Prior). Two nights ago, an intoxicated **Sophie Anne** claimed that she and **Eric** were dating, bringing into question his fidelity.

Both **Eric** and **Sookie's** reps have disputed the claim, stating again that the two of them are in fact dating, and are quite happy. Despite repeated attempts for comment, **Sophie Anne's** camp has been eerily quiet.

In a side note, **Blackhart** is rumored to have been checked into a detox center for another attempt at finding sobriety. His last stint in rehab was two years ago.

Based on **photos** from their recent wine tasting trip, and the kiss **Sookie** laid on **Eric **last night (See Photos), the evidence is not looking good for **Sophie Anne**, who was seen staggering out of the **Viper Room** last night with the aid of both **Olsen sisters**.

00oo00

"Holy crap."

"I know, both Olsen sisters?" He dead panned.

"Eric!" I laughed, and hit his arm as I went to sit down. More seriously, I said, "It sounds like they don't believe her."

"Well that's good, because she lied."

I laughed again. "I wonder why her rep hasn't made any kind of comment?"

Eric shrugged, "There are times when it's better to say nothing. If I had to guess, she's going to end up in a hospital soon, and then no one will care what she said."

"That's awful."

"It seems to be the way of the young starlet these days. I'm waiting for her to flash her crotch getting out of a car."

"Oh my god. Just the other day she was your friend, remember?"

He sighed. "I thought she was, but it turns out I didn't know her at all."

"I'm sorry."

"Sookie, don't you dare apologize for her. She did this not you."

"Okay. Okay. See, this is what I'm worried about. I think I'm too nice for Hollywood. Wait, that sounds wrong."

He laughed. "You _are_ too nice for Hollywood, but L.A. could use a good dose of nice." Picking up our cereal bowls, he went to the sink and rinsed them, then put them in the dishwasher. "Will you be ready in half an hour?"

"Oh, yeah, let me go dry my hair." I finished getting ready, grabbing some clothes for the beach and for staying over at Eric's with him and his brothers. I joined Eric in the living room and we headed out, once again maneuvering our way through the photographers at the end of my driveway. A couple of them jumped in their cars down the block and began to follow us. They weren't chasing us and taking pictures, but clearly they were coming with us.

We got on the highway and headed for Grand Rapids to pick Eric's brothers up. They had each connecting flights in Chicago, and were on the same flight into the smaller airport. I was a little nervous to meet them. Would they like me? Would they be anything like Eric? What did they think about all of this Sophie Anne business?

I took Eric into the food court area where we could wait for his brothers. We got coffee and sat down, watching the activity on the runway through the giant windows.

A rush of people came down the ramp from the boarding gates, and near the end of the pack I saw two men laughing together as they walked. I would have known them anywhere. They didn't look identical to Eric, but they were the kind of brothers that you could certainly pick out in a crowd. One was wearing cargo shorts and a t-shirt, with a flannel shirt and flip flops, while the other was in khaki shorts, loafers, and a golf shirt. I had a feeling that flannel shirt guy was Sven, because he was a river guide in Colorado, while the guy in the golf shirt was Chris, who worked at Boeing in Seattle.

Eric was grinning, and a couple of cameras flashed as he hugged his brothers. They were laughing and talking in Swedish with huge smiles on their faces, and then his brothers turned and squeezed me in a sandwich between them.

"Oh! Hello!" I giggled, glancing at Eric, who simply shook his head and smiled.

They released me, only long enough for each one to hug me individually. "It's great to meet you! I'm Sven," the one in flannel said. I was right.

Then it was Chris's turn. "Hello, Sookie!" He stepped back and grinned, with mischief in his eyes. "We can't wait to tell you all kinds of stories about Eric. He is so going to regret inviting us out here."

"Alright. Let's at least get back to the car before you start filling her head with garbage." Eric put his arm around me and we walked towards baggage claim.

Sven teased, "Yeah, you want her trapped in the vehicle so she can't run away screaming when we start telling her the good stuff."

Chris laughed with him. "Oh yeah, like his Michael Jackson phase."

"Fuck. Those parachute pants?"

"Pants? The sequined glove!"

"You're making shit up! Dra åt helvete!"

I was cracking up as they fed off each others jokes, teasing and laughing the way only brothers could. "Wait. What did you say? Where did you guys learn Swedish?"

"Sorry. I told them to go to hell. We learned Swedish from our grandparents, my dad's folks."

"But farfar, grandfather, taught us to swear," Sven added.

"Farmor would have killed us for swearing," Chris laughed. "She was strict."

The baggage carousel began to move, and Chris and Sven moved closer to it. I slid my arm around Eric's waist, and felt his hand move to my lower back. I leaned my head against him, and we watched his brothers goof off as they waited for their bags.

"Holy shit, bro! This place is sweet!" Sven was staring at the beach house, slack jawed.

"Very cool. It's like a tree house on the beach."

"Dude. This is way better than your place in Cali."

"Yeah, that house is too modern and sterile."

"That place is _totes_ boring."

"He bought it furnished. Who does that?"

"I'm standing right here. And you're confusing the hell out of Sookie."

"Oh, sorry."

"Yeah, sorry Sookie."

"I'm not confused, it's just funny to listen to all of you."

We walked across the bridge and Eric took my hand. Sven and Chris set their things down in the living room, and went straight out to the deck. We were following behind them when Eric's phone rang; he excused himself and stayed inside to take the call. I went to stand at the rail with his brothers, tilting my head to feel the sun on my face.

"Sookie, is everything okay?" Chris asked quietly, as if Eric would have been able to hear through the sliding door if he was any louder.

"We know you guys haven't been dating very long, but he hasn't been this happy in years. And like that crap that Sophie Anne said, you know it's not true, right?"

"We're okay guys." I sighed. "I just don't know if I'm cut out for all of the drama. This stuff with Sophie Anne probably just brought it to the surface a little sooner than it would have happened otherwise."

Sven snorted, "Well, he can be a drama queen, but not with the Hollywood stuff."

"Sookie, he's really not like that. He avoids all of the drama like crazy. He just wants to act and have his life."

"I know. I just need a little time to get my head around it."

Chris smiled. "But in the meantime, you two look pretty happy together."

"Jesus Doctor Phil, leave her alone already."

"Shut the fuck up, Sven."

The slider opened, as Eric came out to hear the last statement, and in brotherly fashion, he joined in. "Really, shut the fuck up, Sven."

"Dude. You can't just toss out an STFU at me like that."

"I'm your older brother, I'll toss out all the STFU's I want. You're not out here giving Sookie a hard time, are you?"

"Eric, they're fine. We're just getting to know each other." I walked over and put my arms around him, leaning my head against his chest.

"You guys want to take your stuff to your rooms and then we can go down to the beach? We've got some footballs and Frisbee's if you want to play."

Both brothers agreed that it sounded good, and Eric told them there was one guest room upstairs and another downstairs, letting them choose. They went inside and it got quiet again.

"Wow. The three of you together is crazy. I don't know how your mom survived it."

He laughed, and kissed the top of my head. "Yeah. She reminds us all the time that we're the reason for her grey hair."

"But I like them, Eric. They seem great."

"They like you too. You want to get changed?"

"Are you going to put sunscreen on me again?" I teased, imitating him and waggling my eyebrows.

"You are evil." He laughed, kissing me.

**EPOV**  
I watched Sookie with Sven playing football on the beach, and waited for Chris to start with his Dr. Phil crap. He didn't disappoint.

"So, Sookie seems great."

"She is great, Chris."

"What's going on?"

Chris was observant. He'd picked up on something. "What do you mean?"

"It's me, not dumb ass out there." He slanted his head towards Sven. "What's up with her memory? Is she sick?"

I sighed. I should have known he would notice her hesitations and rambling answers when she couldn't remember something. "She has amnesia."

He didn't even blink, it was impressive. "Since when?"

"The night we met. She got knocked out by a TV camera following me. I felt so bad that I wanted to take her home to make sure she was okay, but she couldn't remember where she lived."

"No shit?"

I nodded, taking a swig of beer.

"Is her memory coming back? I mean, she remembered some things, there were a just a couple of things that seemed to trip her up."

"Yeah, things are coming back. She says it's like Swiss cheese, there are holes that are just gone."

"So you met her here, not on the blog?"

"Both actually. I just didn't know it was her blog, but I've been reading it for a few years."

"Wait, the tiramisu chick? That's Sookie?"

I smiled and nodded.

"That is funny."

"Wait, it get's better. She's also the girl Sam's been saying was perfect for me."

"Those are some powerful signs."

"I know, right?" I laughed. The neighbor kids had joined Sookie and Sven playing football, which had really become a game of keep-away, with Sven in the middle.

"So, she has amnesia, you're in love with her, and Sophie Anne is trying to use you as a pawn in her fucked up relationship with that guy in rehab?"

"That about covers it."

"That's fucked up." I nodded and we sipped our beers, watching the waves. "You're not telling Sven about Sookie's memory, right?"

"Nope."

"He'll call mom as soon as you turn your back, and mom will, well, she'll be mom."

"Yup."

We clinked the necks of our beer bottles, a brotherly signal that he would keep our secret. It wasn't so much Sookie's amnesia that mom would freak out about, but if she found out about the amnesia she'd figure out what Sookie meant to me because I was taking care of her, and she'd be all over us in a heartbeat. Mom wanted grand kids, and the three of us were perpetually single.

After a while, Chris sighed. "What's your plan?"

"What plan?"

"To help her get over her Hollyweird fears."

"I don't know yet. You have something in mind?"

"She needs to see you in California, see that it's not all that different from here. I mean, yeah, when you have a premiere or an awards show it's crazy, but for the most part," he snorted, "You're kind of lame."

"Thanks. Yeah, she's coming out for fourth of July."

"That's good. I think that will be good for her to see. Don't try to impress her, just do your thing."

"That's what I was thinking."

"Then I've taught you well."

"Whatever." I laughed. Chris was always giving Sven and I dating advice, whether we wanted it or not. The funny thing was that he never dated the same girl more than a few months at a time. He got sick of them, or he found someone he liked better, but somehow, he managed to part on good terms with most of them.

Sookie and Sven wandered back over to us, Sven was telling her a story about one of our winter trips to my grand parent's place in Minnesota. He was trying to imitate our grandfather's accent when he yelled at us for tracking wet snow into the house.

Sookie sat on the edge of my chair and leaned over to give me a kiss. "I'm heading in to take a shower, wash this sand and sunscreen off."

"We'll head in soon. I've got to get the grill started."

She excused herself and I couldn't help but watch her ass as she walked towards the house. The door shut, and both of my brothers burst out laughing; I guess I'd watched her ass longer than I meant to.

Sven opened a beer. "You're making dinner? Did you get me some portabellas and stuff?"

"Yes, and I have the dressing you like for the marinade."

"Sweet. Thanks, man."

"Sure thing, Veggie."

Sven was, for lack of a better term, a hippy. He lived in a tiny apartment, ate nuts and berries, wore sandalwood oil instead of cologne, and gave any spare money he had, which was usually very little, to Greenpeace. I'd bought his plane ticket for the trip, I always did, and we never told Chris. Sven had a Bachelors degree in Anthropology, which he had no desire to use. He'd started working as a river guide while still in college to pay for his addiction to white water rafting and kayaking, and begrudgingly finished his degree at my father's orders, complaining the entire time that he wouldn't need a college diploma to work on the river.

Chris headed inside to shower and change, leaving me and Sven alone for the first time. I had such different relationships with my brothers. Chris and I shared some pretty deep secrets, but Sven and I were different. Chris was only one year younger than me, but I was four years older than Sven, and I'd always felt a need to care for him.

"So, how are things?"

"They're good."

"Thanks for taking some time off and coming out here."

"It's no problem. Thanks for loaning me some cash."

"Sven, it's not a loan. I don't want you to pay me back."

"You always say that."

"I always mean it. It's worth the money to get to see you, and it's not like you're calling me up asking for handouts."

"I try not to."

"What's new?"

"I'm getting a real job."

"What's that about?"

He smiled, "A girl."

"No shit?"

"Yeah. She came up rafting last summer, and then I saw her again when I was working the ski lift. We grabbed drinks and skied on my day off. Then we started emailing, and I've driven down to the city a bunch of times."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I took an exam to work at American Express customer service and accounts. I guess I impressed the shit out of them. I'm moving to Denver to start training in two weeks."

"Whoa, that's a nine to five job."

"Yeah. I need to buy shoes and everything."

"That's actually sad. I'll send you a box of clothes after I get back to California. Make sure to email me your new address."

"I'd say no, but I know you'll send me good shit. You sent me sweet stuff from that beach volleyball thing you went to; I can only imagine the stuff for work you'll send."

"I'll throw in some shoes too."

"Nice."

We heard the slider open and Chris yelled down from the balcony, "Mom's on the phone. Come inside, losers."

We headed in to the house, and passed the phone around so mom could talk to each one of us. Sven and I grabbed quick showers and then I fired up the grill for dinner. Sookie and Chris were making salad and Sven was doing whatever it was he did to his vegetables. I put the chicken on and we all sat outside while it cooked.

Our meal was delicious, and we all laughed while we ate, talking about the sneaky questions mom had asked, to try to find out more about Sookie and me. We played cards until late in the night, Sookie and I wrecked my brothers playing Hearts.

When Sookie and I finally went up to bed, Chris and Sven were playing poker, laughing and swearing like Swedish sailors.

00oo00oo00oo00

**A/N:**  
So - you love them too, don't you? Ha ha. Drop me a review. Which brother are you fighting me for? And - OMG - writing that _Just Jared_ thing was so fun! "I know, both Olsen sisters?" Eric is so funny!

Info from this chappie:  
Gothboy/Kevin Prior's Goth name was created using the name generator below. LOL I couldn't come up with a good one on my own. I will admit it took two tries - the first name it came up with was Lustful Curiosity, and although I almost wet myself laughing, it just didn't work. So I tried again - jackpot. BLACKHART. Perfect.  
http:/www(DOT)necroticobsession(DOT)com/games-and-entertainment/41-idle-hands/47-gothnamegenerator

Swedish names for Grandparents  
http:/en(DOT)wikibooks(DOT)org/wiki/Swedish/Lesson_4#Paternal_Grandparents

Swedish Swears  
http:/everything2(DOT)com/user/PikeWake/writeups/How+to+swear+in+Swedish?displaytype=printable


	15. Batter Up!

**Title: Halo Effect  
Chapter 15:** **Batter Up!  
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and send them to my favorite restaurants. **

**A/N:**  
Awww... You guys love these brothers as much as I do! That makes me happy. **Zigster** set the bar pretty high with her Northman brothers in The Bitch and the Hellcat, but I'm really happy with the way these three came together. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

Thanks to **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose** for their support and WonderTriplet beta-powers.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

**EPOV**  
By the time we were all showered and ready in the morning, Sookie said we needed to hit the road for the drive to Chicago if we wanted to grab lunch and still see the first pitch. I asked her to go upstairs to get her overnight bag and a change of clothes for a surprise later. She kept asking questions that I wouldn't answer, and Sven sang the Jeopardy theme song to hurry her up. Coming back downstairs with her things, she gave me a questioning look.

"Sookie," I pulled her into my arms. "It's a good surprise. You'll like it. I promise."

She sighed, and stood on her tip toes, narrowing her eyes at me. "You promise?"

I smirked and kissed her slowly, until I felt her hands move to my ass, pulling me towards her. Initially, I had every intention of giving her a quick kiss and releasing her, but it never seemed to work out that way with her.

Sven cleared his throat, "Get a fucking room already."

Sookie and I separated, taking a step back, but we kept our arms loosely around each other. "I promise you'll like it."

"I need to get a couple of things from my place when we meet Amelia and Tray."

I raised an eyebrow. She mirrored the look back to me, and I had to smile.

"You've got your surprise." She shrugged, "I've got mine. Ready to go?"

We loaded into the Jeep and drove to her place, switching over to her Camry for better gas mileage. Sookie ran inside to get whatever it was she needed, while I introduced my brothers to Amelia and Tray. I had already called Amelia to fill her in on my plans, so she knew that my brothers would be riding back with her and Tray.

Amelia reminded Sookie where she liked to park and we headed out. It took about three hours to get to Chicago. Sookie gave us an occasional commentary as we drove, pointing out the casinos in New Buffalo and Michigan City, laughing when we wrinkled our noses at the smell as we drove through Gary, and joking about the traffic jam she called 'ever-present' at the Indiana and Illinois state line. My brothers told a few family stories about us growing up, or crazy things we did in college.

Our family was pretty spread out. We'd lived in Minnesota near my dad's family until I was ten, then my dad got transferred for work, and we moved to San Jose, California. My parents were strong believers in education, and all three of us had gone to college. Chris and I went to the University of California, Berkeley together, which was only about forty minutes from our parents. I was in a few commercials, and had bit parts in Independent movies, but my focus was on finishing school. I wasn't fool enough to assume I could make it as an actor without a back up plan.

After getting my degree in Psychology, I moved to Los Angeles to act full time and had been amazed at the roles that came my way. Chris got his degree in Mechanical Engineering, and moved to Seattle for work. Sven had always been independent. When he graduated from high school, he packed up his car and moved to Colorado with his best friend J.B. DuRhone. They went to the University of Colorado, Boulder; and neither one of them had ever considered moving back to California.

Sven told Sookie about coming to Berkeley for sibling weekend with me and Chris in high school. Our cousin Jonas had given Sven a fake I.D. so he could get in to the bar with us, which in hindsight, was a really bad idea. We were having a great time until Sven threw up on a hot girl that Chris was hitting on and then later fell down the stairs at our apartment complex. We had to send him home in an ankle brace; mom was pissed.

Sookie fell asleep for a bit, and I was glad we were still a ways out of the city so I didn't need to wake her for directions. In the backseat, I heard Chris asking Sven about his girlfriend, Rachel, who taught ninth grade Earth Science. Sven told him how sweet she was and that she wasn't even a vegetarian. If his buying real shoes didn't give it away, that did. Sven was in love.

They continued chatting and I just listened, not wanting to wake Sookie. Eventually, Sven asked about his love life, and Chris said he had just broken up with a girl that wanted to get serious, saying he still wasn't ready to settle down. Sven gave him shit, telling him he had to grow up sometime; I was still laughing when Sookie woke up.

When we got closer to Wrigleyville, Sookie started giving me directions. I was familiar with Chicago, but she seemed to know of a secret lot that we would be able to park in. Sure enough, we pulled into a private lot, and Sookie and Amelia jumped out to hug the guy at the gate. My brothers and I shook our heads; Sookie was a force to be reckoned with, that was for sure.

We walked a few blocks to Murphy's Bleachers, a sports bar across the street from the entrance to the bleacher section of Wrigley Field. Tray ordered us pitchers of Leinenkugel's, it was the Friday special, and Amelia picked out a few appetizers. Sookie reminded us to save room for Chicago dog's at the game, and I smiled at her. She really sounded like she knew what she was talking about, not like she had read about them on her own blog, but I could tell from from the look in her eyes, she didn't truly remember.

After a while, Sookie and Amelia stood together talking, while my brothers and I talked cars and sports with Tray. Apparently, he and Amelia went to at least one Cubs game with Sookie every summer.

Sven looked confused for a second, "Just the three of you? Sookie's husband didn't come?"

Tray glanced at me quickly, and then looked down. "Um, no." He took a long drink and poured some more beer.

Chris smacked Sven on the arm. "Shut the fuck up, Sven."

"What? Sorry, I was confused."

"I'll tell you later dumb ass."

"Don't call me dumb ass, you heartless prick."

"What the fuck?"

Sven used a whiny voice. "_I'm not ready to settle down."  
_  
Chris's eyes got wide, and I told them both to shut up before they did anything stupid.

Sven gave me an apologetic look, and Chris looked pissed, but he would forget about it in no time; he always did. I changed the subject, asking Tray about the minor league team in Grand Rapids and whether or not he went to their games as well. It worked, and after a few minutes we were all comfortable again, talking and laughing.

Sookie came over and put an arm around me, and I kissed the top of her head. We'd gotten a few looks, well, I particularly, had gotten looks, and I had my picture taken with a couple of the staff, but for the most part everyone in the bar kept a good distance and was polite. Chris laughed at me and got out his Blackberry, pulling up the list of celebrities that had been to the bar, joking that I was just another star to them. There were a lot of big names on there; I actually caught myself looking around for some professional athletes. Sven swore he saw Chris Chelios from the Chicago Blackhawks when he was in the bathroom, but we didn't believe him.

Amelia even razzed him, saying, "If there's no picture, it didn't happen, hippy."

I squeezed Sookie tight against me to get her attention, and smiled down at her. "You want to walk over and get our tickets and come back?"

She nodded and we excused ourselves, telling everyone we'd be back in a bit. Sookie thought she remembered where the will call window was to pick up our tickets, and had double checked online over breakfast to be sure. She led me around the outside of the stadium. I felt bad that she still questioned her memories and stumbled over things she couldn't recall. It was happening less and less, but she had confessed that there was still a lot from her distant past that she didn't remember.

By the time we got back to the bar, we needed to head into the stadium. Our tickets weren't in the bleacher section, so we needed to walk to a different entrance. Amelia and Sookie were walking together, Chris and Tray were talking about engines and Sven and I brought up the rear.

After a five minute walk, we went through the turnstiles and regrouped inside the stadium. Sookie's eyes lit up and she was grinning from ear to ear.

I smiled. "Chicago dogs?"

"Mmm. Yeah. Come on."

She led us to a hot dog vendor, who smiled and greeted her with a hug. I recognized his picture from her blog; it was her favorite hot dog stand inside the stadium. Everyone but Sven ordered a dog. Chris and I both ordered Chicago dogs with the works. We'd been to Chicago a million times growing up to visit our cousins, but we had never had a true Chicago dog. While we waited for the vendor to get everyone's hot dog ready, I gave Sookie a quick kiss.

She raised an eyebrow. "What was that for?"

"I'm happy for you."

"What?" She chuckled.

"You remembered. When you mentioned getting hot dogs at Murphy's, you were just talking about what you read on your blog, but when we got in the stadium, you remembered."

"You're right."

"I know, and I'm glad you're remembering more things, but this was particularly cool."

"It was, wasn't it?" We smiled at each other, like we shared a secret, and then our hot dogs were ready.

We all waited in another line for beer that cost an outrageous amount of money. Sven got peanuts, and we headed to our seats.

We were seated in two rows, three people in each, one in front of the other. Sookie and I sat with Sven behind Amelia, Tray and Chris. We were in the VIP Club section over the Cub's dugout, along the third base line. Sookie and Amelia were joking with my brothers like they'd known them for years. Tray was quiet, but seemed comfortable with all of us. I smiled, truly enjoying myself. I definitely wanted to have more times like this with Sookie. I couldn't believe Bill hadn't shared this with her.

It was a beautiful afternoon, and we all soaked up the sun and had a great time at the game. The Cubs were even putting up a respectable fight against the Pittsburgh Pirates. An ESPN camera man got in our faces during a commercial break, but everyone took it in stride, smiling and waving, and the people who were sitting around us seemed excited.

The game wound down, and the Cubs only lost by two runs. We walked back towards our cars, tired from the beer and the fresh air. Sookie and I held hands, listening to Tray and Amelia tell my brothers about Quaker Steak and Lube, the restaurant they were going to stop at for dinner in Indiana on the way home.

Sookie smiled up at me. "You're still not telling me where we're going?'

"It's a surprise, so, by definition, no."

She shook her head as she laughed, and we walked the rest of the way to where we were parked. We said our goodbyes, thanking everyone for coming to the game. We told my brothers we'd see them the following day, and told Tray and Amelia we would see them soon.

I drove us over to The Drake Hotel, and pulled into the valet line. The hotel had been built in thee 1920's, and it wasn't unusual for celebrities to stay there when filming in Chicago. It was beautiful architecturally, and the interior was pretty spectacular as well. I'd stayed here a few times, but usually it after a late night flight from California, and I was out the door first thing in the morning.

"This is awesome. I've never stayed here. Thank you. This is a great surprise."

I kissed her quickly and smirked. "This isn't the surprise."

"It isn't?"

"Nope."

She was shaking her head as I climbed out of the car. I took her hand and we headed into the lobby to check in. We headed up to our room to get ready for dinner. Sookie took two outfits out of her bag and looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

"Either one, Sook. You always look great."

She huffed and went into the bathroom to change. I knew she was frustrated that I wouldn't give her any clues as to where we were going. After a few minutes, she came out dressed in a knee length khaki skirt and a bright blue sleeveless blouse with a scooped neckline that would tease me all night long.

**SPOV**  
Eric drove us through Chicago, and I wondered where he was taking us. I listened to the voice coming out of his phone, "Turn left, in one hundred feet." I was trying to remember what hotels and restaurants were in the area as we drove, but we were driving faster than my ridiculous brain could retrieve things.

We parked in a city lot and Eric came around to get my door. He took my hand, helping me out of the car, and gave me a sweet kiss.

He smiled, then led me down the block and around the corner. I caught him glancing to gauge my reaction, but I didn't recognize the block in front of me. We came to a red doorway, and I stopped, feeling like I should know the place. I looked up, and saw the name on the awning.

"Oh my god! Eric."

He smiled. "Hungry?"

"Yes. I, oh my god. I'm so excited."

"I'm going to insist that you eat dinner before you order dessert."

I pouted. "Only if you insist."

He opened the door and we stepped into Rose Angelis, home of the tiramisu that seduced him through my blog.

I took in a deep breath, and my lungs were filled with the delicious scents of garlic, tomato and herbs. I felt a little dizzy and laughed at myself, thinking I'd held my breath too long savoring the aroma. Eric looked at me strangely and I smiled in reassurance. I was looking around, taking in the Venetian plaster and the frescoes on the walls, feeling overwhelmed. The manager greeted us at the door, looking between us as if he was surprised to see us together. Apparently, he didn't follow the tabloids.

"Eric, Sookie! So great to see the two of you! And together! What a treat! Give us a few minutes to get you a table, okay?"

"We'll grab some wine at the bar while we wait our turn."

I loved that Eric didn't expect special treatment. He put his hand on my back, and I sighed at the warmth of his touch. We walked towards the bar and I stumbled a little. I shook my head; something wasn't right.

He looked down, raising an eyebrow. "I'm alright."

He kissed the top of my head and we continued to the bar where we each ordered a glass of wine. We stood close to each other, he kept his hand on my hip, and everything felt like it was falling in to place. I was supposed to be here, with Eric, it just felt right.

We looked at the menu, and I was wondering if he already knew what he wanted to order. For dinner here, I loved the rustic pasta dishes, and I usually ordered spinach mezzaluna pasta. It was stuffed with ricotta and pesto with a brown butter sauce with sun dried tomatoes. Sometimes I shared an appetizer with someone, but I always saved room for dessert.

Eric smiled over the menu. "Do you know what you want?"

"I do. You?"

"Yeah. Seafood linguine. Would you like an appetizer? Bruschetta or something?"

"How do you feel about calamari?"

"Love it."

We grinned at each other. I couldn't think of a better place for us to end the night. We'd had a great day. I really enjoyed spending time with Eric's brothers. They were fun and really seemed to like me. I was looking forward to the next few days with them.

The waitress took our order, and we were enjoying ourselves so much that it seemed like just seconds had passed before our food arrived. We had been busy talking, telling each other about the times we'd been to the restaurant before, without each other. I told him how Bill never ordered off the menu, but started with a standard dish and asked for three or four substitutions. Eric hesitated, but told me how his mom had asked their waitress to be his 'plus one' at his cousin's wedding the first time he brought her there.

Our food was delicious, as always, and the restaurant was bustling. The server cleared our dinner plates and the waitress came back over to us, automatically bringing two cups of coffee.

"How often do you come here?" I teased him.

He laughed. "I've only been here a couple of times. I guess I left a good impression."

The waitress blushed, and asked if we wanted one or two orders of tiramisu for dessert. We answered in stereo, "Two," and laughed. Eric reached out, putting his hand over mine and my breath caught. I had a strange feeling, it was almost déjà vu, and tried to clear my head, but I just felt off.

"Are you alright?" He looked concerned and rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb.

I looked at our hands, and my mind felt cloudy, but I nodded at him and stood to excuse myself. "I'll be right back." I needed a minute.

I walked quickly to the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I put the lid down on the toilet and slowly took a seat. Taking deep breaths, I tried to relax. _What the hell was wrong with me? _We'd had a great day, and it wasn't my blood sugar because we'd just eaten. Maybe I was coming down with something. I looked up, thinking that I could count the ceiling tiles or something to clear my head, and I realized that the bathroom had been painted a soft brown, like the color of a latte. It was strange, I'd just been here two weeks ago; nothing else in the restaurant had changed, well, except me. Now I was divorced, had a boyfriend, if that's what you called Eric, and had amnesia. _Wait, how did I know I was here two weeks ago? What else did I remember? _

"Oh my god," I whispered.

When I returned to the table, there were two plates of tiramisu waiting. I smiled, it was fitting really, and yet actually kind of bizarre. Eric was looking at his phone, reading something. Exiting the screen, he put the phone in his pocket and smiled at me.

"Pam texted me. Our picture made it on live TV at the game and now it's popping up everywhere. She is beyond pleased."

"Oh, that's good," I said distractedly.

"Hey." He took my hand; his eyes were focused on me, full of concern.

I twined our fingers together, looking at his large hand next to my much smaller one. Raising my eyes back to his, I smiled, and then leaned forward. I brought my other hand up to his cheek, and kissed him.

When our lips separated, I kept my face close to his and whispered, "I remember everything."

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

**A/N:**  
OMG! Don't kill me! It was the perfect place to break. How do you think this is going to go? What does she mean she remembers everything? And does she remember him? Dum dum dum... Stay tuned!

Links for stuff in this chapter:  
**Murphy's Bleachers** www(dot)murphysbleachers(dot)com

**Quaker Steak and Lube** http:/www(dot)quakersteakandlube(dot)com/Portage_IN/  
Quaker Steak is more of a Pennsylvania/Ohio thing, but we're lucky enough to have one on the way to Chicago now. YUM I love the Thai R Cracker and the Cajun wings, and we always get an O Ring Antenna.

**The Drake Hotel** http:/www(dot)thedrakehotel(dot)com/


	16. The Meaning of Everything

**Title: Halo Effect  
Chapter 16: The Meaning of Everything  
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and send them to my favorite restaurants. **

**A/N:  
**Umm. I have a meeting in the morning, so I thought you'd rather get this earlier than later. Enjoy!

Beautiful giant Skarsgard sized thanks to **Sapfirerose** and **A Redhead Thing**. These two spent the weekend partying with our friend **smfogleman**, and still found time to look this over for me. I am quite jealous of their get together. *sniff*

OMG- I've totally neglected to tell you something super cool. A Halo Effect reader, **DaisyDrk,** created a Halo Effect inspired cupcake and included it on her blog! It's so cool!  
Go read her blog - and go make some cupcakes!  
http:/bubbleandsweet(d0t)blogspot(dot)com/2010/05/halo-effect-cupcakes-inspired-by(dot)html

Since the foundation of this fic is the **Waterfront Film Festival**, I wanted to let you know that the 2010 WFF is here! June 10-13th. http:/www(dot)waterfrontfilm(dot)org/

00oo00oo00  
_From Ch: 15  
(SPOV) When I returned to the table, there were two plates of tiramisu waiting. I smiled, it was fitting really, and yet actually kind of bizarre. Eric was looking at his phone, reading something. Exiting the screen, he put the phone in his pocket and smiled at me._

_"Pam texted me. Our picture made it on live TV at the game and now it's popping up everywhere. She is beyond pleased."_

_"Oh, that's good," I said distractedly._

_"Hey." He took my hand; his eyes were focused on me, full of concern._

_I twined our fingers together, looking at his large hand next to my much smaller one. Raising my eyes back to his, I smiled, and then leaned forward. I brought my other hand up to his cheek, and kissed him._

_When our lips separated, I kept my face close to his and whispered, "I remember everything."  
_  
00oo00oo00oo00  
**EPOV**  
I looked at her, with wide eyes. What exactly did _everything_ mean? "Everything?"

Her eyes sparkled. "Mmhm."

I tried to read her. The hand holding, the kiss, the sparkle in her eyes, they were all pointing to good things, but she had acted strangely before she excused herself. "Are you okay? I thought maybe you weren't feeling well."

"No, I'm fine. I think I was just remembering everything and it was overwhelming. I didn't realize what was going on at first. On top of that, I've had this weird déjà vu feeling since we got here, but that's not really what it was. I think it was more of a premonition."

"A premonition?"

She smiled. "Yeah. That this is only the first of many meals here with you."

"Really?" I smirked.

She grinned, nodding. Her eyes danced with delight and she looked stunning.

I was thrilled that she had her memories back and that she was thinking about us in terms of the future, but I had a confession to make. "Sookie, I didn't know," I said quietly. "I thought you were a grandmother or something."

"I know," she laughed, it was lyrical. "And I thought you were a lonely celebrity that needed a friend."

"Unreal." I shook my head, smiling. "You never gave me your name. You signed every email, 'The Queen.' I went back and checked, to see if there were any clues, you know, after I figured out it was you."

We were still sitting very close together, grinning at each other.

She leaned back and took a very sexy bite of tiramisu; then sipped her coffee and raised an eyebrow at me. "Exactly _why_ did you share so many personal details with some little old woman over the internet?" She tried to look serious. "Don't you watch _To Catch a Predator_ with Chris Hansen? I could have been anybody!"

I laughed. "I have no idea."

The first post on her blog that I read, the one about Rose Angelis, had led to a great dinner with my mother. She was having a hard time being in town for my cousins wedding only a year after his mother, her sister, had died. Mom had been able to relax that night, not worrying about putting on a happy face for all of her relatives. It was a memorable night for us, a chance for me to turn the tables and take care of her for once, and to top the evening off, she fell in love with the tiramisu.

I felt compelled to respond to the blog by email, not wanting to leave an anonymous comment or bring attention from others by posting my name. I could have used a pseudonym, like something Pam checked me into a hotel with, but I wanted her to know how much her blog had affected _me_, not Bart Simpson or Richard Head, or some other ridiculous name, but me.

She responded to me with the kindest message, telling me that she had lost her parents when she was young, and she thought it was great that I spent time with my mom; commenting that it was easy to forget that a celebrity like me was someones son too. We'd emailed back and forth after that; she was a sounding board who didn't have a vested interest in my career and was always candidly honest with me. I felt like I could tell her anything. I knew it was risky to put myself out there, but somehow I knew she would never use any of the information against me.

We talked a lot about the ways my celebrity status had changed my life. How I had become almost a homebody after my first show hit it big. I hated the paparazzi. I just wanted to act, not see and be seen. I told her that after being flat broke as an actor for a few years, I thought it was ridiculous that now, when money was no object, people gave me everything free as 'swag.' She wrote back telling me that I needed to remember how lucky I was to be successful, and that I could turn down roles that might be too high profile, or move to England like Madonna. Then she teased me, telling me to find a girlfriend, someone who would enjoy spending time at home with me and would support me, making the other, more public things bearable.

I remember writing her back right away with a 'funny you should mention that' message. I told her that my friend wanted me to go on a blind date with someone from Chicago that he thought was perfect for me, but I wasn't sure if I was interested.

Her words of wisdom were simple; "What if she's the one? What if you don't go because it seems ridiculous, but it's actually fate? Do you want to take that risk? You can afford to take a weekend trip to Chicago. You should meet her with an open mind and go from there. Anything is possible."

That was one of the last messages she sent. I had gotten busy finishing up the season of _Bloodlust _and preparing for a month in Michigan and never responded. But we were like that, going months without chatting, and then I'd write to tell her about a great restaurant or meal to have when she came to L.A., or to comment on her blog post, and we'd write back and forth a few times.

It was unbelievable really, that she was sitting across the table from me, looking good enough to eat.

"Were you going to come to Chicago and meet me?"

I loved that she inserted herself into the role of the girl I was supposed to meet; she didn't seem bothered by the accidents and coincidences that connected us.

"I hadn't decided. I was considering it, because I knew I would be so close to Chicago."

"I think I'm glad we met the way we did."

"Really? Why?"

She shrugged. "I think we would have both had some reservations about getting involved, if we met conventionally. I would have been really nervous because of who you are, and you would have been wondering what my intentions were, if I was there for you or your name. The way things happened, we just skipped over that."

"But we didn't. You didn't worry about who I was at first, but then, after Sophie Anne, it changed. So we didn't skip over it, we came back to it, or whatever. How do you feel about it now?"

"You know what's crazy? I thought about this, months ago. I mean, when we were emailing. You seemed like you were tired of being alone. Like you really needed someone to share things with, but you didn't know where to start looking. I wondered then if someone like me, just a regular person, could deal with the crazy stuff that would come along with being with you."

"And what did you conclude?"

She took another bite of dessert and then sipped her coffee. She studied our hands for a minute, well, it was probably only a second, but waiting for her response was agonizing. Amnesia Sookie was terrified of Hollywood; I had no idea how this Sookie felt.

She exhaled and brought her eyes up to mine. "I decided that if she loved you, it shouldn't matter. You would face it together."

I could hardly breathe. "And does she, love me?"

A tear had gathered on her eyelashes and her voice caught. "Yes. Yes she does."

Leaning forward, I put my hands on either side of her face and kissed her. I wanted to pull her onto my lap and into my arms, or throw her over my shoulder and find the nearest bed; instead I leaned back and looked into her eyes. I wiped away the tear that had fallen on her cheek with my thumb. "I love you, too."

She smiled, and I was startled when she moved away from me, looking around the restaurant. Then I laughed, when I heard her call out as our waitress passed by, "We need our check, and boxes for our dessert, please."

**SPOV**  
As we drove back to the Drake, I thought about the way that Eric's surprise for me had turned into something even better, for both of us. The first time I got an email from him, I thought it was a joke, and then two days later pictures of him with his mother at Rose Angelis made the news. I responded because, well, how could I not tell him how great it was that my blog brought him together with his mom? It was sort of a reality check too, you never think of the people you see on T.V. as being someone's son.

We emailed off and on. He was really down to earth, and although he was proud of his accomplishments, he was reserved and kind. Some of his messages seemed to be reaching out for a friend, or someone who would listen with an open mind. He wasn't comfortable with the spotlight, and he seemed almost lonely at times, so I suggested that he find someone to share the craziness with. It seemed innocent enough, but when he told me that his friend wanted him to meet a girl in Chicago, I was surprised by my jealousy.

Bill and I had separated by then, but I was still just one woman in a sea of women who would love to have a chance with Eric Northman. After more than two years of emailing, I still hadn't given Eric my name. The anonymity was freeing. I felt like I could be totally and brutally honest with him. After a bit of soul searching, I gave him the same dating advice I would give anyone else; in a nutshell, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I thought about what he said about the paparazzi and publicity, and the more I thought about everything I knew about Eric, I concluded that being in love with him would be worth the price, because you'd deal with all of it together.

Suddenly, Eric and I were in my car, having just professed our love for each other. It wasn't actually sudden, but it seemed like it. I remembered my time with Eric, but having my other memories rush back had mixed up my internal time line.

I glanced over at him and smiled. As unbelievable as it seemed, he was mine. An interesting thing about my returned memories, was that they made me realize how great Eric was as a person, and how the short time I had spent with him couldn't be compared to the years that I had spent with Bill. Eric made me happy; he made me feel alive. I had never felt like that with Bill. We had been happy, and I had been content at first, but in hindsight, I spent most of our time together taking care of him. Eric had already demonstrated more concern about my well being than Bill ever had.

"Are you okay? You're quiet."

"I'm fine, Eric." I took his hand, and I remembered something else. "Oh! Are you ready for your surprise?"

He teased, "You mean you getting your memory back wasn't it?"

"No," I laughed. "The surprise I had planned is upstairs."

He waggled his eyebrows and smirked. "I can't wait to find out what it is."

Eric parked in the valet lane at the hotel, and took my hand after the carhop helped me out of the car. With his hand on my lower back, he walked us through the lobby and onto a waiting elevator. He stood behind me with his hands on my hips, holding me against his body. His arousal became obvious as he kissed my neck and nibbled at my ear. I put my hands on top of his and sighed. Closing my eyes, I gave myself over to the feelings he stirred in me. His hands began to slide down, lifting the hem of my skirt, and then the elevator dinged, breaking the spell.

We went to our room and I put the tiramisu in the mini-fridge. Eric put his wallet on the T.V. and took his shoes off, then untucked his shirt to get comfortable. I loved watching him do such mundane little things, it was a testament to how comfortable he was with me. There was a part of my brain that couldn't quite get my head around it, but mostly, it made me insanely happy, and I had a ridiculous smile on my face.

He stretched out on the bed and smiled at me. I had taken off my shoes and was still standing near the wet bar. With my hands on either side of me, I leaned back on the counter, taking him in.

"You're very thoughtful tonight, Sookie."

I smirked. "Well, I have a lot of old memories to assimilate with some major changes."

"Come here," he said as he sat up in the bed. I walked over to him and stood between his legs, putting my arms around his back. He was so tall that even sitting like that, his head rested on my chest. "I may have gotten a little distracted when you told me you loved me. This has to be strange for you."

I laughed, running my hands through his hair. "It's a little weird. I mean, suddenly I remember how shitty the last year has been, and now I'm here with you and it's wonderful, but I think if I hadn't gotten hit on the head I'd still be drowning in my own sorrow. Honestly, the happiness is outweighing everything else though." I leaned down, kissing the top of his head as he caressed my back with his hands. "I'm good. We're good."

He started to lean back, trying to pull me down to the bed, but I stepped back. He raised an eyebrow and I smiled to reassure him. "Let me go freshen up. I'll be right back."

I opened my overnight bag and found my cosmetics bag and robe. Then I found what I planned to change into and wrapped it in the robe before going to the bathroom. I took a few things out of the bag and lined them up on the counter, then washed my face and put on moisturizer. I was doing my nightly ritual, staying with the routine to keep myself from rushing out to the other room.

When Eric talked about surprising me this morning, I decided that I would return the favor. I'd bought some new lingerie after I left Bill. I wanted some pretty things, just for me. I didn't have anything that screamed "SEX!", but that had never been my style anyway. Things with Eric had followed a strange course, and I wanted to do something romantic for him, so I packed a pretty black slip with appliquéd lace. I slipped it on, along with a matching black thong, and took a quick look at myself in the mirror. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped back into the bedroom.

Eric had turned on the bedside lamp and was looking at the hotel information book. He turned and saw me, his face breaking into a smile. "Well, you do look refreshed."

I smiled. "I feel refreshed. What about you?"

"Oh, I could definitely use some help. What did you have in mind?"

I turned off the bathroom light and walked over to him. He reached for me, and I ducked, grabbing the waist of his shirt, pulling it over his head.

"That's better," he sighed, as my hands ran down his chest. "You look beautiful, Sookie."

I smiled at his sweet words, and reached down to the button on his shorts, "I think these may need to come off." I opened the zipper, and he lifted his hips so I could pull his shorts and boxer briefs down his legs. Kneeling before him, I ran my hands up the inside of his thighs. I was eye level with his belly button, and I leaned forward to kiss it.

His breath caught as my lips touched his stomach. "Sookie," his voice rasped. "You don't have to do this."

I hadn't done this for him yet, but I'd definitely thought about it, and lucky Eric, I remembered that I liked it. It was intimate and made me feel very much in control. Taking his erection in hand, I raised my eyes to his. "I want to."

"Shit."

I pumped my hand up and down to feel how hard he was already and then circled him with my hand, putting pressure around the base of his shaft and rubbing my thumb over the tip. I leaned in closer, and paused to look up at his face. His mouth was slightly open and his eyes were dark, then I gave him a long lick from base to tip.

"Fuck." His eyes closed and his head fell back.

I swirled my tongue around the head, then my lips closed over him, and gently sucked. His hands became tangled in my hair, and I could hear his breath coming faster. Delivering a few more tongue strokes, I knew he wanted to feel more of my mouth on him. I sucked a little harder, tightening my lips on him for a second before plunging down to take him as deep as I could. I licked around his shaft, and brought my hand up again to stroke what wouldn't fit in my mouth. I started sliding my lips up and down, stroking him with my tongue as he moved in and out of my mouth. He was raising his hips and starting to pull at my hair. I increased my suction and swirled my tongue around his tip again, focusing there when I felt him start to tense.

"Sookie. Jesus." He was close, and I let him take over, pushing and pulling my head up and down between his legs until he gave me a final push, and came in my mouth.

He tasted salty and sexy; I smiled to myself as I gave him a final swirl of my tongue. Bill had thought blow jobs were dirty; it was nice to know that Eric did not. I gazed up at him, and he leaned down, while gently pulling me up towards him for a kiss. His hands caressed my shoulders, then slid along the silk of my lingerie down my sides.

With his hands on my hips, Eric stood up, pulling me with him. He cupped my breasts, his thumbs rubbing the fabric against my sensitive nipples. He began kissing my neck, and I felt the hem of my slip being raised.

He whispered in my ear, "You're over dressed, lover."

I bit my lip, savoring the feel of the silk gliding over my skin as he pulled it up my body and over my head. His hands ghosted across my skin, and his lips burned a path down my body as he crouched to remove my underwear. He kissed my stomach before standing again and climbing on the bed. He held my hand, pulling me with him, and we stretched out next to each other. He pulled the sheet over us; it was such a sweet gesture.

I put my hand on his chest and leaned forward to kiss him. It was slow and lazy, and I felt like we had all the time in the world. The kiss ended, and we were laying together, our faces inches apart.

"I love you, Sookie. I know it's fast. And I know it's scary, but it's real."

I cupped his face, stroking his cheek with my thumb. "I love you, too. As long as we're in this together, we'll be fine." I laughed. "I think."

He smiled back. "I like the confidence you have with your memories back."

"It's weird, I remember the time with you, but I can't imagine not being me. I think maybe I was me, but dialed back a bit."

"You haven't remembered anything crazy that I need to know about have you? No boyfriend in Chicago? You're not leaving to teach English in Japan, or something are you?"

"Well, I do have a trip planned."

His face fell, and he waited for me to continue.

"I'm visiting a friend for Fourth of July."

"Oh, really?"

I tried to be serious. "Yeah, I have this friend in L.A., he's an actor. You might know him."

He started laughing, then started tickling me and we were wriggling on the bed. I was shrieking and laughing; I hoped our neighbors weren't too mad. Then I was trapped beneath Eric's large body as he grinned down. "That wasn't very nice. You know what happens to girls who tease me like that, right?"

"No," I laughed. "What are you going to do to me?"

He kissed me on the lips, hard and fast, and waggled his eyebrows. "Torture you." Then he flipped the sheet over his head and moved down my body, fitting himself between my legs.

"Eric!" I laughed, then I felt his hands on the inside of my thighs and his breath on my arousal; I moaned. What delicious torture it would be.

oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo

**A/N:**  
Okay, sorry to have teased you that she might not remember him. She totally remembers!  
They'll have a nice time at home, but what will happen when Eric needs to head home? Will she go with him? Join him later for the fourth? Have we heard the last from Sophie Anne? Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my! Drop me a review.

Okay, totally laugh worthy, as I'm typing this, there's a Pure Michigan ad on T.V. (voiced by Michigan native Tim Allen). Since this fic seems like a gigantic Michigan tourism ad - here's the link:  
http:/www(dot)michigan(dot)org/topics/pure-michigan-ads/default(dot)aspx

Black silk lace applique slip http:/yfrog(dot)com/7flaceappliqueslipj


	17. Guitar Hero

**Title: Halo Effect  
Chapter 17: Guitar Hero  
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and send them to my favorite restaurants. **

**A/N:**

I won't be anywhere near a computer tomorrow and I can't post from my blackberry...so here you go. (Not that anyone will complain, I'm just explaining, so when I post next Tuesday morning from my office - you'll understand why.)

Thanks to **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose** for all they do. Late night pep talks, fic pimpin', these girls rule. Oh, and they do not complain about my continued failure to properly use commas. That right there is huge. Just sayin'.

And thank you to everyone reading and reviewing. I've been kind of busy of late, so I'm a little slow getting back to peeps. But - Muchas Gracias!

0oo00oo00oo00oo0

**SPOV**  
Eric and I got room service for breakfast, while I called Amelia to give her the good news about my memory. Then we took a walk around Navy Pier before heading back to Saugatuck. It was nice to be able to show him some of my favorites places. There were paparazzi waiting for us outside the hotel, and they followed as we walked. I heard cameras snapping, and saw heads turning, but we ignored them. The sun was shining, and as usual, the wind was blowing off the Lake.

Pam called as we drove out of the city and Eric put her on speaker phone. Things in California were continuing to unfold. Blackhart had officially confirmed that he was back in rehab in Malibu and had made a public declaration of his love for Sophie Anne, who was falling apart. She hadn't been seen sober in days. Just last night, she was seen at Chateau Marmont drinking with Lindsay Lohan. As they left the hotel, she laughed and told reporters that she wasn't surprised by Eric's denial, because she understood that he had an image to protect.

I was upset. I just couldn't believe that Sophie Anne would try to maintain her lie when there was clearly proof against her. Eric smiled, holding my hand as we drove.

"Sookie, are you really this unfamiliar with the tabloids?" Pam deadpanned. "There could be a picture of you two getting married and she'd still say she was dating him. Usually, pictures can really screw celebrities, but this is working to your advantage. Think about it this way. When a celebrity couple denies that they are dating for months, but gets photographed together over and over again, what are you going to believe? The pictures or the words?"

"Well, it's really none of my business, but I guess the pictures."

"You're sweet." She snorted. "But you're the minority. Some fans think they actually know celebrities from watching their shows, and others think that because they're famous, everything they do should be public. It might be wrong, but that's the way it is, especially because of the internet. Anyway, when you're faced with words or pictures, most people believe the pictures because they seem more like proof, especially when they see them over and over again."

"How is that bad?"

"When they're trying to keep their personal lives private, sometimes their words don't match the pictures, and they come off looking like liars; and no one wants to think their favorite celebrity is a liar. Regardless, there are Sophie Anne fans out there that think Eric is a two timing bastard, but he has very loyal fans that think she's a stupid fame whore, and quite honestly, he has a hell of a lot more fans than that stupid little twat."

"Jeez, tell us how you really feel," I muttered.

"You can trust I always will, Sookie."

Eric had been quietly listening to our exchange. I thought about how he had tried to protect me from the paparazzi when we checked into the hotel in Ludington, and how it didn't matter where we were, people were always trying to take his picture. I felt kind of awful for reading tabloids and checking celebrity websites once in while, but I also knew I'd probably still read them.

"Alright Pamzilla, what now?" Eric sighed.

"Do what you've been doing. You two are a fucking wet dream. You're all cute and cuddly and photogenic. It's disgusting. _Okay!_ posted pictures of the two of you with your brothers yesterday at the game. I'm pretty sure that Sophie Anne's publicist is shit faced drunk, rocking himself in a corner somewhere."

"Alright, we're going to get back to being cute. Thanks for calling, Pam." He reached to disconnect the phone, but Pam started talking again.

"Hold on. I wasn't finished. Sookie, when are you updating your blog?"

"Tonight, or maybe tomorrow?"

"And you will be including information about Eric, and the brothers Northman?"

"Um. Sure."

"Good girl. Now we're finished." _Click._

Pam seriously needed a lesson in phone etiquette.

Eric shook his head and hung up. We drove quietly for a while, chatting off and on, talking about everything and nothing. We decided on a restaurant to take his brothers to for brunch in the morning before going to the airport and talked about going to Coral Gables or the Mermaid with his brothers for drinks after dinner.

We made good time, pulling into the beach house early in the afternoon. He took my hand as we walked towards the house, but while we crossed the bridge, I stopped and set my bag down.

Our arms stretched, and Eric looked back at me, "Sook?"

I pulled him back to me. He set his bag down and I put my arms around him. "Your brothers are obnoxious." I teased. "I want another minute alone with you."

He hugged me and leaned against the railing. "I cannot argue with that."

Standing on my tip toes, I gave him a slow kiss. He held me tight, and we listened to the waves on the shore and the leaves rustling as the wind blew. After a long moment, I stepped back and we grabbed our bags and went to find Chris and Sven.

The house was quiet, so we went out to the balcony, and found them on the beach. Sven was kicking around a hackey sack, and Chris was talking to some girls in bikinis. We both laughed, and Eric said this was pretty typical.

"Really?" I laughed. "I bet if you were down there the girls would be standing around you, not Chris."

"Don't underestimate the power of a good wingman, Sookie. Chris and I work well together."

I snorted. "Nice, and Sven is chopped liver?"

"Ha ha. No, he picks up the shy girls that inevitably drift away from the pack."

"How very _National Geographic_ of you all."

Sven noticed us and waved. "Hey! Get your suits on and come down!"

Chris looked up and raised a hand, but continued talking to his harem, which had locked their eyes on Eric. I watched Chris's face become more animated as he talked and the girls all returned their attention to him.

"He's telling a story about me," Eric said quietly.

"You three are a well oiled machine." I laughed.

"Yup. We've been doing it since high school. Although, back then, it was pretty even odds on which one of us the girls would pay attention to. I spent a lot of time as Chris's second too. It was fun."

"You really miss them, don't you?"

"Yeah. I guess I do. We only see each other a couple times a year now. Seems like we never get home at the same time. My parents are only a few hours away and I never get there."

"You shouldn't take your family for granted," I said quietly.

He turned towards me, and looked so apologetic that I regretted saying it, but then more emotional word diarrhea spilled out of my mouth.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't tell you what to do. I lost my parents in a car accident the year I started college. Jason lived with friends for a while during his senior year of high school until he turned eighteen. Gran and Jason were all I had left, and now there's just Jason, and we hardly know each other anymore."

"Sookie. I'm sorry." He sighed. "You're right. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do. I wouldn't change it, but I made time for a month here, and I haven't seen my parents since Christmas. I need to make more of an effort. Family _is_ important."

"Whatever." I tried to brush it off, embarrassed at making a big deal about family. "Are you ready to go change? Let's go to the beach."

"Sookie." He looked down to the beach at his brothers, and then looked back at me. "Do you want to meet my parents when we go to California?"

I'm pretty sure my mouth hung open for at least a second before I was able to close it. "What? I mean, do you want me to?"

"Yeah. I do."

"Then I'd love to."

He smiled, never taking his eyes off mine, then angled his head towards the water. "Beach?"

"If we have to."

He shook his head and grinned. "We do. Sven is watching us, and Chris keeps looking up here."

I grinned and laughed. "They miss you too!"

"Yeah, or they don't want me to get laid."

I laughed, and slapped him on the arm and then we went inside to unpack and change.

We were going downstairs to join his brothers on the beach when my cell phone rang. Carrie Underwood sang, _"I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights, slashed a hole in all 4 tires, and maybe next time he'll think before he cheats."_

It was Bill. While Eric and I were up north, I had assigned Bill the ringtone, because for some reason he didn't have a personalized ring, and well, I wanted to know when he was calling so I could decide whether or not to answer.

I groaned, and answered. "What?"

Eric turned around quickly when he heard the music and my tone of voice.

"Sookie. I see you're still spending time with Mr. Northman, and you came to Chicago with him."

"Yes, Bill. Eric went to a baseball game with me. Are you jealous? You never wanted to go before."

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't know what you see in that game or why you eat those disgusting sausages and pay the outrageous prices they charge for that swill they call beer at Wrigley." He huffed. "Anyway, that's not the point. I simply cannot believe that you have the gall to come to my town and flash your boyfriend around."

My eyes had to be as big as saucers. "_Your_ town? Bill, Chicago is not _your_ town. And you know what? I'll come back to the city as often as I want, with whomever I want."

Eric's muscles tensed and I knew he was about to reach for the phone. I put my hand flat on his chest and shook my head.

"You don't get to tell me who I can see and where I can go. You had no problem flashing your girlfriend around before our divorce was final. You have no right to say anything about this, and you will not make me feel bad about it. I am happier than I've been in a long time, no thanks to you. So leave me the fuck alone. The next time you want to talk to me, call my lawyer." I disconnected the call with a huff.

Eric was looking at me with an eyebrow raised.

"Don't." I shook my head, then took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm okay, really. Let's just go outside."

He studied me for a second, no doubt realizing that I was more pissed than upset, then nodded, and took my hand to lead me outside.

The fangirls had waited for Eric on the beach; I had no illusion they stayed to talk to me, or Chris for that matter. Eric muttered something under his breath that I couldn't understand.

I pushed him towards them, laughing. "Go say hello. I'll be with Sven."

He gave me an annoyed look and then turned on his smile and joined Chris. I sat by Sven, who had given up his game of hackey sack and was sitting in a lounge chair with a magazine.

"What's up?"

"Hey. Did you have a good night?"

"Yeah. We did. We went to dinner and stayed at the Drake Hotel."

"Oh yeah. That's where Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn stayed when they filmed in Chicago."

I looked at him blankly.

"What? I read those magazines. I'm always looking to see what they say about Eric."

At least I wouldn't be alone in reading them.

We chatted quietly. He told me about his girlfriend Rachel, she taught science and enjoyed hiking and rafting, but also enjoyed creature comforts, like cable television, Vera Bradley purses and Broadway musicals. He smiled telling me about her, laughingly saying that he would even let her keep meat in the refrigerator when she visited him.

00oo00oo00

**EPOV**  
The girls left when they realized that I was really with Sookie. They'd seen our pictures of course, but how cool that we were really together. Blah blah blah. I could tell Chris considered making plans with them for the evening, but Sookie and Sven laughed loudly, catching his attention and he politely declined.

We spent a while on the beach talking, and more often than not, laughing. Sookie excused herself to go inside and work on her blog, promising Sven she would mention the lack of vegetarian options available at Wrigley Field. Chris made her promise to let him have final say on any pictures of him that she wanted to include. Sven and I died laughing when she negotiated, agreeing that even if he wanted to veto them all, he had to agree, at the minimum, to one group photo that he was in, no matter what.

Sven went in to grab his tennis shoes and went for a run. Chris and I enjoyed the quiet, listening to the waves, and then he asked me about Sophie Anne.

"Shit. You went online today?"

"Yeah, what the fuck is that chick's problem?"

"Sam says she's a big bag of crazy."

"She is that. I love Sam's crazy southern phrases. What did Pam say? I know you must have talked to her today."

"Not much actually. I don't have anything to hide. Sookie and I have been seen and photographed together; it's clear to anyone that see's us that we're together."

"You talk anymore about Hollywood, or are you waiting for her to get her memory back?"

I grinned, thinking about the night before; the way Sookie felt about handling Hollywood together, the feel of her skin under my hands as we made love.

"Shit. No way. She remembers? What happened?"

"You're scary."

"For an actor you don't hide your emotions well."

"I don't need to hide them around you."

"Well, you do if you don't want me to figure shit out."

"Fuck you." I laughed. "Yeah. She remembered everything, and she's actually feeling a lot better about Hollywood. You know how I've been reading her blog for years? I never told anyone, but we've been emailing back and forth. I had no idea who she was, I thought she was old and retired or something."

"Did she know who you were?"

"Yeah. And it turns out that she'd already thought about it, the celebrity stuff, in a 'what if' kind of way. She didn't think she actually stood a chance with me."

He laughed. "Funny how shit works out isn't it?"

"Yeah." I leaned back in my lounge chair. "Sven's right you know. You have to grow up sometime. You're like this fountain of wisdom, but you don't take your own advice."

"I know." He sighed. "I dated this girl named Zaneta last year that I thought about settling down with, but she got back together with her ex before I got serious about her."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She was pretty great. It kind of freaked me out."

"Yeah, falling for someone will do that to you."

"Shut up."

We would have teased each other more, and I would have dug for more information about this mystery girl, but Sven returned, and I knew there was no way Chris would talk about it in front of him. Sven challenged us to some Guitar Hero, and we went inside to play on the big screen in the basement.

Sven was killing us. He had way too much free time on his hands during the off season between skiing and rafting, and he admitted that he'd gotten Rachel hooked on playing too.

Sookie came down stairs while Chris and I were playing _Paradise City_ by Guns n Roses. We finished up and she shocked the hell out of me by challenging Sven. She strapped on the fake guitar and navigated through the set up like a pro. The next song up was _Bulls on Parade_ by Rage Against the Machine, and it seemed totally out of character for Sookie to be standing there, fingers tapping out the cords on the neck of the guitar, but there she was, grinning and holding her own with my brother.

"Sookie! That was awesome!" Sven was laughing at her.

"Yeah, I got all of Bill's video game crap in the divorce. Most of it was stuff that he'd given me as presents so he could use it. I figured that made it mine, and I knew it would piss him off. Then I had a shitty year living by myself, so I had plenty of time to practice it. I kick ass at Wii bowling too."

We played a few more rounds, ending with me beating Sookie at the Rolling Stones_ Paint it Black_. Sookie showed us the blog post she'd written, making sure that Chris approved of the picture she was posting; it was one of the group of us at Murphy's before the game. He started to tell her that he didn't like it and then laughed, saying he was teasing and was just excited to be included in her blog.

Sookie had taken a shower earlier, but the three of us were still sandy and smelled like sunscreen from the beach. We headed up to get showered and changed to go to dinner. Sookie wasn't telling us where we were going, but swore we would love it.

When everyone was ready and Sven finished his phone call to Rachel, we loaded in the Jeep and Sookie gave me directions to a neighboring town. I turned into a parking lot and laughed at the name of the restaurant, Su Casa. I explained to my brothers that one of the more heated email debates Sookie and I had over the past three years had been about Mexican food.

I argued that there was no way that Mexican food in the Midwest could compete with Mexican food in California - sheer geography made it impossible. She had countered with population statistics, telling me that parts of the Midwest had Latino populations that were on par with California. Her biggest argument though, was that it didn't matter where you were in the country, the most important factor was that owner/cook was from Mexico.

We walked into the restaurant together, and Sookie was greeted by a dark haired man in an apron.

"Hola Sookie! Cómo estás?"

"Bien Edgar!" She hugged him and switched to English. "These are my friends, the Northman's." She nodded at each of my brothers. "This is Sven, Chris, and this is Eric." She inclined her head towards me. He clearly had no idea who I was.

"Welcome! You go sit down and I'll be right out."

We sat in a booth along the side of the restaurant, and Edgar brought out a basket of chips with three small bowls of pico de gallo, tomatillo salsa verde and hot pickled carrots with jalepenos.

Sven raised an eyebrow at me. "This is serious shit bro." He scooped some pico onto a chip for a taste and closed his eyes as he chewed. "You're so screwed man. This is good."

We ordered drinks and guacamole before looking at the menu. I was impressed with how authentic the dishes looked, but I really shouldn't have been surprised based on the fact that most of the staff was speaking to each other in Spanish.

A waitress brought our drinks and took our orders. Sookie, Chris and I ordered things that could be shared; fajitas, torta sandwiches and quesadillas and Sven ordered vegetarian quesadillas for himself.

When the food arrived, it was delicious. I wasn't ready to admit defeat. Just because the food here was good didn't mean it was better than what we had in California. While we ate, we all talked about some of our other favorite Mexican restaurants. Sven said that some of his favorites from Colorado were just as good.

My mouth must have fallen open when Sookie said, "Of course they are."

"What?" I was shocked.

She giggled. "Eric, every part of Mexico has a different style of cooking. It's just like anywhere else. You can only get true Chicago dogs in Chicago, or made by someone from there. The Mexican food in California and Colorado is different because the people making it are from different parts of Mexico. It doesn't mean any of it is better than the rest, it's a matter of taste."

"'I'm sorry, then what were we debating before?"

"We were debating the fact that you said the Midwest couldn't have good Mexican food because we were so far away from Mexico, and that is just not true." She was grinning and adorable and I couldn't be mad at her.

I shook my head and smiled, exchanging a look with her.

We finished eating and Edgar stopped by to ask how our meals were. Someone must have told him who I was, because he had a digital camera and asked if he could take a picture with me. We posed together, and then I made Sookie join us.

We headed to the car and Sven said he wanted ice cream. It was fairly early, so we decided to head back to Saugatuck and get ice cream there, where we could walk downtown a bit.

Chris laughed from the back seat and told Sven and I to check our email. I pulled out my phone and saw a message from my mom. I read quickly and laughed, handing my phone to Sookie.

"Awww."

Mom had emailed all of us a picture from the Cubs game, saying how great it was to see her three boys together.

Sookie smirked, looking over at me and reached over to hold my hand. I couldn't wait for her to meet my parents.

oo00oo00oo00oo00oo  
**A/N:**  
Seriously, I want to marry a Northman brother. Mr. T is a sweetheart, but I'd love my own personal Northman. Just saying.

Thanks for reading and reviewing. Let's all go play some Guitar Hero, sound good? Sven promises not to beat you too bad.


	18. Poker Night

**Title: Halo Effect**  
**Chapter 18:** **Poker Night**  
**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and send them to my favorite restaurants. **

**A/N:**  
OMG. OMG. HE passed 1,000 reviews this week! Thanks soo much everyone! For the other authors out there, you understand how amazingly huge that is, but for you awesome readers who don't write, reviews are the only thing we get out of this - well, that and meeting some really awesome people in this fandom. So - from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Big thanks to **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose **for their continued support and excitement for this story. You girls deserve primal animalistic sex with TB Eric, or any Eric of your choice. I'll pull whatever strings I have to make it happen for you.

Now I'll shut up. Here you go...

00oo00oo00oo00

**EPOV**  
Before Sookie and I made it back to the car in the airport parking lot, my bonehead brothers were blowing up her phone with text messages professing their love for her and telling her to forget about me and run away with them. She was giggling like a mad woman, texting them back to tell them that she loved them too.

It was all so normal, and so bizarre, at the same time. I hadn't introduced a girl to my family in years, Sookie had sort of fallen into my life and into my heart and there she was, fully accepted by my brothers. I wasn't even worried about my mom meeting her, and that was huge.

My mom was a force to be reckoned with, not unlike a certain Stackhouse I knew. She organized and orchestrated things down to the tiniest detail. The inability to get her sons married off was starting to make her a little crazy. Over the years, she had tried to set us up with women she met through her job at the hospital and the daughters of friends.

Now that we had moved away and were grown men, she had been relegated to whining about our bachelorhood and lack of children every time we spoke. Whenever it came up, each brother tried to force her attentions on another, saying, "Sven has a new girlfriend," or "Chris had a date last night." I was easy prey, because I was always filming with some female celebrity or invited to a party that, in my mom's eyes, would include a veritable buffet of single women, so both brothers tended to push her on me.

Mom had left me a shy voice mail a few days ago that I hadn't shared with anyone, not even Sookie.

"Eric, it's mom." _Thanks mom, because I didn't already know that._ "I just wanted to call and say that I'm really happy that you have a girlfriend. I mean, that's what it says you confirmed in the magazines." _Ouch. Fuck. I should have told her myself. _"Anyway, I wish that I had heard it from you, but I'm really happy for you. I know that you've been kind of isolated." She sighed. "I'd love to talk with you, so call me. Have a good time with your brothers. Don't let Sven get hurt or do anything dangerous. Love you."

I felt like a heel for having mom find out about Sookie that way, but everything had been so out of control since the minute she got knocked out. I mean, at first I didn't think it was real; I thought that it was just me having feelings for her, and then it was like a whirlwind. I found out she was the woman I had been emailing and the girl Sam wanted me to go out with, but Sookie didn't know any of that, she didn't remember anything. Then, after we'd spent time together and had grown close, when I was ready to tell her how I was feeling, Sophie Anne went insane. Damn. It sounded really crazy when you put it all together like that. I had a feeling though, when all was said and done, my mom would be okay with everything when she met Sookie. She'd see what I saw, and nothing else would matter.

Hollywood was a pretty wicked place, and it felt strange to be close with my family; if not physically, at least emotionally, in that sea of individuals out for their own gain. The time with Sookie, and the understanding that she didn't really have a family, made me appreciate mine even more.

Now, we had a week left before I had to head back to California. I was sitting in the living room at the beach house with my nose buried in my script. Sookie was on the other end of the couch, surfing the web to make a list of restaurants that she wanted to visit in L.A. for her blog.

My cell phone rang and Kidd Rock's _Cowboy_ blared. It was Alcide; I wondered where the hell he'd been. "Northman."

"Hey. Checking in. You had a busy time while I was gone." He gave a dry laugh.

"Exactly where were you Alcide?"

"You loaned me out."

"Excuse me?"

"Remember? My parents wanted me to help them move, and I told them there wasn't a chance in hell. You got all vindictive and mean and called my mom and told her I would be there."

"Ah, yes. That was rather mean of me, to make you help your aging parents. I forgot that it was the same time as my vacation."

"I can't imagine how. You were all smug about it and used the word 'fortuitous.' My mom made you jam and cookies."

I laughed. "Tell her thanks. How _was _your trip to the heartland?"

"Every trip back to Missouri reminds me why I left."

"You're a cold hearted bastard, Cide."

"Don't I know it." He paused, and I could tell he mentally shifted gears into business mode. "Listen, Pam wants to know if you are going to bring Sookie to any events during the Fourth? You know, MTV will have that beach house again, and since he did that cameo on _Bloodlust_, you've got an invite to Ben Affleck's big cook out. Then there are a couple of parties for the Arts Council, and Pam said something about trying to get you into Spielberg's for fireworks."

"If she can get us in for fireworks, we're there," I said, glancing at Sookie. "If we do any of the other stuff, we'll probably go to Ben's. Sookie and Jen would probably really like each other. Do we need to RSVP?"

"Yeah, they need to order personalized sparklers for you or some shit," he said sarcastically. Then he was serious. "Yes, you need to RSVP."

"Tell them we'll be there. Anything else?"

"No, but I'm sure Pam will think of something."

"Most likely. Later."

"Later."

Sookie had put the laptop on the coffee table and was turned around looking at me.

"What?"

"Who would I get along with?"

"Ah, Jennifer Affleck, or Garner. I don't know what her married name is."

Her eyes actually sparkled and she was grinning from ear to ear. She sat up on her knees and bounced. "Oh my god! Really?"

"Sookie," I teased. "I can't take you to their party if you're going to get all fangirl."

"Did I get all fangirl about you?" She was inching towards me.

"You had amnesia."

"Oh, yeah. I promise I'll be good. But really, Ben and Jen?"

"Yes."

"That is so cool. Maybe Matt Damon will be there."

I laughed. "Maybe, Matt and his wife and kids."

She snorted at my comment. She was right next to me on the couch, grinning. Her arms came around me and she climbed into my lap, planting a sexy kiss on me. When she pulled away, she cupped my face and whispered, "I think I might like California."

I laughed and pushed her back on the couch to tickle her. "You're going to use me to meet celebrities?"

"Ha ha! No! Stop!"

I continued tickling her and she shrieked with laughter. After a few minutes we were both short of breath but I continued to go after the spots that I'd learned made her wiggle and laugh. I thought she was ready to cry "Uncle!", but her words totally surprised me.

"I won't meet any of them." She gasped. "Stop! I won't meet any of them!"

I went still. "What did you say?"

"I won't meet any of them." She said quietly.

"Why did you say that?"

"What? Because that's not why I'm coming to California. I'm coming for you. I don't care about anyone else."

"Sookie, I was just teasing you. I'm excited to have this invitation too. I hung out with Ben on the set a bit, but they're new friends for me. Sam and Daphne went to their party last year and I was jealous."

"Alright, I just mean, we don't have to go. I don't care if we never leave your house. Wait do you have a house?"

I smirked at her. It surprised me sometimes that we were still learning things about each other. "Yes, Sookie. I have a house." I leaned forward to kiss her. She was so adorable, lying there looking confused, but she pushed at my chest to sit up.

"Stop. Tell me about your house. How big is it? Is it by the ocean?"

"Sookie, you'll see it next week." I sighed. "I wouldn't call it big. It's not on the water, but it's in the hills and you can see the ocean from my pool area."

"You have a pool?"

"Yes, and an outdoor fireplace."

"Oh. Wow."

"Sookie, it doesn't snow in California, we use our patios year round."

She giggled. "I guess you do. Tell me about the house though."

"It's nothing too huge. Four bedrooms and an office, a couple of bathrooms, a nice living room and a big kitchen."

She was grinning. "So, like three times the size of my cottage?"

"Something like that. I bought it furnished from some guy who moved back to Europe. He updated everything, but he only lived there two years. He never really assimilated and went back to Czechoslovakia or something."

"Did you make that up?"

"No, but my realtor probably did."

"Wait, didn't your brothers say it was really modern? That doesn't sound like you. You didn't redecorate?"

"I'd like to say that I'm not there very often, but that's not true. I only updated the rooms I use; my bedroom, my office and the living room. That's lame isn't it?"

"It is, kind of. But if that's all you use." She shrugged.

I exhaled, looking around at my script and the laptop on the table. "Can we take a break?"

She giggled. "You want to take a study break? And make out?"

I waggled my eyebrows and pushed her back onto the couch and we did just that.

Eventually we spent the rest of the afternoon working from opposite corners of the couch. We changed clothes and went into Saugatuck for dinner, wandering in and out of shops after we ate. There were still a fair amount of tourists in town, which Sookie said was normal. I got waylaid by a few fans asking for autographs and pictures as we shopped, but for the most part people left us alone. I was really getting used to the lack of paparazzi. I'd even stood on the deck with Sookie, wearing nothing but the blanket wrapped around us one morning, and had no fear that someone was hiding in the bushes for a picture at seven in the morning.

The week we had left together flew by. We enjoyed ourselves, doing everyday things that were so much better with her; grocery shopping, laundry, reading the morning paper, watching movies and eating bowls of cereal. With Sookie, they were anything but routine. We stayed at the beach house most nights. Sookie decided that she wanted to listen to the waves, and I had to admit, I was quickly becoming addicted to the sound.

On my second to last night in Michigan, we went back to her place for poker night. According to Amelia, it was an annual summer event including a poker tournament and dinner party that alternated between friends homes. It was Amelia's turn to host this year, but since they were neighbors, the party would be held at both Sookie and the Dawson's homes. Dinner would be at Sookie's, and then those who wanted to play poker would head over to Amelia and Tray's, while others would stay at Sookie's to drink and socialize, or wander back and forth between houses. It was a small group, maybe twenty people, who all seemed to know each other quite well.

Sookie was cleaning up the kitchen; she wasn't going to play poker since she was playing hostess. She leaned close and whispered, "Plus I'm catching up with everyone again now that I actually remember them." I laughed and shook my head, then gave her a quick kiss as I followed Tray next door.

It was very laid back and everyone seemed to welcome me into the fold. Ginger and Felicia were harassing me about my character on _Bloodlust_, saying he was an evil, controlling vampire and he would never get the girl. More than anything, they were trying to get me to give up information about the coming season, and we were all laughing when I tried to convince them I got killed in the first episode. The press had already leaked that I was in every episode in the coming season.

I made it through the first two rounds of poker. I moved on with Tray, Ginger, and two men who were a couple, Mick and Michael, who refused to sit next to each other at this final table, saying it was bad luck.

Ginger continued to try to distract me, asking questions about female celebrities she'd like to fuck. Her words, not mine. She was slightly successful because she had me laughing several times picturing her with the very hetero celebrities she was naming off. Finally, Felicia slapped her on the back of the head.

"You do not want to have sex with Pamela Anderson and you never have. Now you're pissing me off. Eric, ignore my wife, she's being a child."

I laughed, telling them that I really thought they would like my friend Pam if they ever got to California.

After a while, Michael and Ginger had been knocked out leaving just Tray, Mick and I to play. Sookie had wandered over from her house and was standing behind me with her hands on my shoulders. Now _that_ was distracting.

On the next deal, I went all in with a pair of kings, only to be knocked out by Tray's two aces. I shrugged, leaving the table as I congratulated Tray and Mick on a good game, since they were the final two at the table.

Sookie and I moved away from the crowd, and although I wanted to see who won, I wanted to spend time with Sookie even more. We went into the dining room, and she put her arms around me, standing on her tip toes to kiss me. I kissed her back, thinking of nothing but getting over to her house and stripping her naked.

Amelia giggled as passed through the room. "You two are so cute."

"Thanks, Meels," Sookie teased, still on her tip toes, her eyes locked on mine.

I smiled at Sookie, and then turned to grin at her friend. "Great party, Amelia."

"Whatever, lovebirds," she laughed and continued into the living room.

Poker finished up, with Mick winning the pot. Tray laughed, saying he let him win; he was being a good host and all. It had gotten late, and people began to say their good-nights. Sookie helped Amelia clean a few things up and load the dishwasher before we walked back to her house.

I was really going to miss this. I had friends in California, but with our crazy schedules it was pretty rare that we could all get together for a dinner and poker party. It seemed like the only time we all got together was for an awards show or someone's premiere, and that definitely wasn't a relaxed atmosphere.

Sookie had cleaned up almost all evidence of the party before heading over to Amelia's. I locked up the house and met Sookie in the bedroom, where she'd already climbed onto the bed.

"You look beautiful, Sookie," I said, taking her in as the moonlight played on her hair.

She rolled to her side and sat up on her elbow. "You don't look so bad yourself."

I joined her on the bed, stretching out next to her, running my hand along her side. I sighed, thinking I wasn't going to be able to leave her, even for a few days.

She put her hand on my lips, and I brought my eyes to hers. "Don't. I'm not worried about it. We'll figure it out. Okay?"

I nodded, kissing her fingers, before moving her hand aside and leaning forward to kiss her lips. I rolled our bodies so that she was stretched across my chest, as I ran my hands over her back while we kissed. I heard her moan into my mouth, but I kept things slow, taking my time to savor her. We made love throughout the night, waking each other with warm mouths and gentle touches, unable to get enough.

I woke in the morning, tangled around her from behind, our skin sticky from contact. I didn't know what Sookie had in mind for our last day together, but I would have been fine if we never left the bed. I hugged her to me and kissed her neck with a sigh.

"Mmm. Good morning," she said sleepily as she turned to face me.

"Good morning."

"It's your last day here. What do you want to do?" I raised an eyebrow at her and she laughed, "All day?"

"Well, maybe we could eat and take a walk on the beach."

"That does sound nice."

So that's what we did. We lounged in bed and made love, then drove over to the beach house and had breakfast. We went for a walk on the beach before it got too hot, pausing several times to sit in the sand and watch the waves. Then we went back to the house and straight to the bedroom, made love and napped, then wandered to the kitchen to make sandwiches for lunch. I packed a few things and then looked over my script, while Sookie did some work on her laptop. We made small talk, but seemed to avoid the big issue.

When it was time to think about dinner, I suggested the pizza place that Sookie liked, but she shook her head and wrinkled her nose.

"I don't want to share you tonight. Is that okay?"

"That is more than fine."

I put my arms around her and we wound up in bed again before she managed to pull together a feast between the leftovers in the fridge and things in my freezer. We cleaned up the kitchen and I led her behind me outside to the balcony. Pulling her into my lap, we sat in an Adirondack chair and looked out at the water to see the sun setting on the horizon. We didn't talk; I just held her and rested my chin on her head.

"You okay?" she whispered.

"I'm good. I just needed to hold you a minute."

"Hey, I'll be with you in California in less than a week. Besides, you need to clean your bachelor pad up so it's fit for a lady to visit anyway."

I laughed, but we still hadn't talked about what would happen after her visit to California. I didn't want things to be over between us after that, god anything but that. I thought she felt the same, but we hadn't discussed how we would make it work. In the back of my mind, I was hoping that she would come to California and never leave, but that was unrealistic.

"And then I'll be back for the premiere party, that's in a month." She was trying to be positive.

A month was too long, and it meant she was planning on coming home. I sighed. "Sookie, what if I asked you to move to California?" It was out of my mouth before I had second thoughts.

She was quiet for a moment, long enough for me to think I'd royally fucked up. She was still cradled in my lap, facing away from me. She let out a deep breath and then she spoke. "I would say that I have a house here, so we should plan to come back and visit." She paused and then, more quietly said, "Are you asking me?"

"Are you saying yes?" My heart was pounding. I couldn't believe I had asked her and I certainly couldn't believe she had sort of said yes.

She turned around in my lap, so she was on her knees, straddling my legs. "Eric, are you sure about this?"

I looked into her eyes, and saw everything that I needed there. I couldn't go back to California without knowing she was going to join me, for good. "Yes, I'm absolutely sure."

"Good," she said before kissing me quickly. Then she grinned, leaning her forehead against mine. "Almost everything I own is already packed."

00oo00oo00oo00

**A/N:**  
WHAT? How did that happen? That snuck up on you didn't it! Ha ha ha. I hope you approve. Leave me some lovin'. Click the button, you know you want to.

Thanks to TV_girl for helping me think about where this Eric would live in California.

OH - and I have to add this update. My real life friend met John Cusack while he was filming in Chicago a few years ago, and she swears he was not a dick AT ALL. She says he was totally nice and they partied - however, she has a smokin' bod and is all around A-mazing, so I'm thinking he wanted in her pants. Just a guess.


	19. Cross Country

**Title: Halo Effect**  
**Chapter 19: Cross Country**  
**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and let them play in Lake Michigan.**

**A/N:**

Okay - so I love our fandom. Sunday night I got to hang out with two awesome ladies that I met through fanfic to watch TB together. I had lots of fun with Bloodsucker815 and BonTempsCutie watching and commenting!

I'm glad that you guys were all on board with Eric asking Sookie to come to California. It was a heat of the moment thing, but trust me, he doesn't regret it.

00oo00oo00oo00  
**SPOV**  
We had spent our last night in Michigan together at the beach house, making love all night after Eric asked me to move to California with him.

Part of me felt like the night before had been a dream, but a larger part of me knew it was real, and that part was jumping up and down like a school girl. Eric and I had avoided talking about what would happen when he went home right up until the end of his vacation. I wasn't worried about it; I knew we would figure something out, and I had hoped that it involved us continuing to see each other. With everything that had conspired to bring us together; the blog, Sam, our emails, and the paparazzi take down, I couldn't see us walking away without a fight.

When he put out the hypothetical question, what if he asked me to move, I had to take a deep breath before I could say anything. Things were moving quickly, but once I had my memories back, I knew in my soul, that I wanted to be with him. I think what surprised me most about his question was that we were on the same page.

I had been doing a good job of hiding it, but for the last few days, thinking of him going back to California had made me sick to my stomach. I had been terrified when Bill and I separated, but this was different. Eric walking away, without knowing where things stood between us, would have destroyed me.

I think he was as surprised by my response as I was by the question. The look on his face had been priceless. I told him almost everything I owned was already packed, because it was. My boxes from Chicago had arrived, and I hadn't unpacked them because I was busy with Eric, or maybe I was hoping to put them on a truck and ship them to California. Either way, for the most part, my things were boxed and ready to go.

This morning, he was packing the last of his things, and I was drinking coffee on the deck. My cell phone rang and I smiled listening to the ring tone. It was Lafayette, and I was very much looking forward to seeing him when I got to Los Angeles.

"Hello, Laf."

"Sookie, baby. How's my girl?"

"I'm good! How are you?"

"I'm fine. Jus' fine. How's your boy toy? You ready to hand him over to me yet?"

"Funny. No."

Laf and I talked about my visit over the Fourth, and he went a little ga-ga when I told him we might go to Ben and Jen's party. He made it quite clear that I would not be going if I didn't let him "fix" my hair first.

I didn't tell him that I was going to move in with Eric. That was a little too new to share. I needed to tell Amelia first, and I needed to figure out over the next few days exactly how I was going to pull it off.

I was finishing the call with Laf and, as usual, the conversation had deteriorated into sexual innuendos.

"Alright Sooks, they's a line of people who need me to make dem bootiful. Ain't no one as good as me. And girl, I can't wait to get my magic hands on you."

I snickered, and then tried to sound seductive. "I can't wait for you to get your hands on me either."

Eric cleared his throat behind me, and I heard the screen door open and close. I felt myself blush from my chest all the way up to my face. I turned and smiled at him, continuing to talking into my phone. "Bye Lafayette. I'll call you when I get to Eric's so we can make plans for you to do my hair."

I hung up as Eric shook his head at me and smiled.

"Were you worried?" I walked over and put my arms around him.

"I wouldn't say worried, but I certainly wondered who you were talking to."

"He says I can't go to Ben's party with you until he does my hair. He said something about brassy highlights and know-it-all stylists, and I wasn't sure if he was talking about himself and what he was going to do, or how my hair looked now."

"I think your hair looks fine."

"So do I, but I indulge him. No matter what he does it turns out great. He really does have magic hands."

"Oh really?" He laughed and raised an eyebrow.

That fucking eyebrow, he had no idea the effect it had. It made me weak in the knees. Hell, I wanted to lick it.

"Yours are pretty good, but I might need another demonstration to compare."

"Sookie."

"Are you finished packing?" I checked my watch. It hadn't taken him very long. If he was finished, we had plenty of time to kill, or fool around, as the case may be.

He grinned. "I am. I just need to take a shower. I think we have time for that. Yes?"

I wasn't sure if he was asking me if we had time, or if I would join him, but the answer to both was yes. I nodded and he took my hand, leading me upstairs to the master bathroom. He turned the water on and undressed me slowly as we waited for it to warm up. I reached for his waist band, but he stopped my hands, and then set me on the counter to watch him strip for me.

I giggled, thinking how many women would die to see this. His abs were chiseled, and his legs were strong. I loved watching his muscles flex and ripple as he moved. He turned around before bending to pick up his pants, and I got a clear view of his world class ass. I giggled again, wondering if he performed his own ass shots on screen.

He glanced over his shoulder and I shook my head, trying not to laugh. He clenched his butt and watched my reaction, which was to burst out laughing. He laid his clothes on the closed toilet and turned back to me as I was wiping my eyes.

He stood between my legs with his hands on my shoulders. "So, somehow what I hoped was a sexy moment made you laugh hysterically."

"I'm sorry. I really was enjoying it, and then I got a thought in my head and well, it was funny."

He gave me the eyebrow.

I reached out and ran my fingertips over it. "Now, _that_ is sexy," I said quietly. The room was filling with steam, and I started to worry about running out of time and hot water.

"What?" he chuckled.

"Oh, sorry, I got distracted by your eyebrow. I thought about how lucky I was to see your little strip show, and I wondered if you had a butt double, because you really don't need one. Then you did that little wiggle and it was so freakin' cute."

"Let's go back to the eyebrow. It's distracting?" He teased me, raising it again.

I pushed him slightly away, and moved so I was kneeling on the counter and our eyes were almost level. I grinned at him, and then put my hands on either side of his face, running my thumbs over his eyebrows.

"Your eyebrows are very distracting," I whispered as I lightly kissed one, and then the other.

He laughed, but stopped when our eyes met.

"I'm serious. You have no idea how sexy that eyebrow raise is when used at the right time."

He sighed my name as his hands moved up my sides to caress my breasts, teasing my already pebbled nipples with his thumbs.

My hands moved into his hair, and I pulled him towards me, locking us together in a kiss. Our tongues slid together, as one of his hands made its way down my stomach and between my legs. His long fingers felt amazing, and my body instinctively rocked against his hand. My hands had made their way to his chest, running softly over the smattering of hair, while we continued kissing like our lives depended on it. I reached down to stroke the erection that had been brushing against my side, but when my fingers grazed him, Eric stilled his motions and stepped back. We looked at each other, breathing hard, with lips swollen from kissing and eyes clouded with desire.

"Fuck. Shower," he managed to say.

I bit my lip and nodded. The counter top was killing my knees, and I wanted nothing more than to feel him buried inside me. I would do anything he wanted to make that happen.

He held my hand as I climbed off the counter and reached inside the shower curtain to test the water. The mirror was completely fogged, and the air was thick as we stepped under the spray. I smiled as he maneuvered us to the back of the stall without even getting entirely wet. My back was against the wall, and I put my arms around his neck as he leaned down to kiss me.

He lifted me by the waist and my legs wrapped around him. Our bodies slid together with his erection pressed between us, and I groaned at the feel of him. His hips flexed, teasing us both as his cock slid against my clit.

"Eric. Please," I whispered.

I felt his fingers dip into my center, stroking me quickly, and then they were gone. Before I could miss them, I felt the tip of his erection pressing into me. I arched my back, encouraging him to move, and then he pushed fully into me. Our eyes met, although I was having a hard time stopping mine from rolling back in my head, and he began to move.

We made love slowly, and I looked down at where we were joined. It was so sexy, feeling him moving inside me and seeing his length appear and disappear as he slid in and out. I was mesmerized, watching our bodies.

"God, you're beautiful. Do you see that?" His voice was hoarse, and I glanced up to see that he was watching the same thing.

"Me? I'm watching you." I managed to laugh, and then he adjusted his hips; the angle was somehow exactly right, and he hit the perfect spot over and over. "Oh my god. Yes. Eric. Yes," I cried out as my orgasm crashed over me. His movements became faster, and I heard a growl from the back of his throat that ended in a groan. He drove into me one last time, and his legs shook as he pulsed inside of me.

I was lightly kissing his chest and stroking his back while his forehead leaned against the back wall of the shower. He stood up straight, adjusting our bodies, and it was a horrible, empty feeling when he pulled out, and I put my feet back on the floor. Our arms slid around each other, and we stood huddled together lost in our own thoughts.

He stepped back and took my face in his hands, kissing me hard. "I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered back, tears finally threatening to fall, but I couldn't do it, I couldn't fall apart yet. I reached around him, grabbing my shampoo and held it out to him. "Wash my hair before the water gets cold?" I was actually pretty surprised we still had hot water.

He lathered my hair and gave me an excellent massage before rinsing it out and then repeated the process with my conditioner. We were both able to get the important parts washed before the cold water made me squeal.

We dressed slowly, knowing that each piece of clothing we put on was one step closer to goodbye.

Eric loaded his Jeep and drove me back to my cottage. I was surprised, but thankful that there were no photographers around. We held hands walking into the house, and I felt dread building in my stomach.

"I have to go. I need to turn in my car and get checked in."

I nodded.

"Sookie." He pulled me into his arms, and I buried my face in his chest, breathing in everything about him; the feeling of his arms, the sound of his heart, the smell of his aftershave and deodorant mixed with the smell that was just Eric.

I took it all in and closed my eyes, trying to capture all of him that I could. My emotions got the better of me, and I felt the tears start rolling down my cheeks.

"Hey, what happened to I'll be in California in less than a week? This is not goodbye. It's just see you later," he teased, trying to lighten my mood.

"I know. I'm just being a girl. I don't want you to go without me."

He leaned back so I could see his face and he was smiling sadly. "Trust me. I don't want to go without you. But like you said, I should probably clear out the moldy food in the fridge and the porn in the living room before you get there."

"Moldy food and porn?"

"Not really; I was trying to make you feel better."

I sighed, changing the subject. "I'm really excited to come to California."

"I can't wait. Pack what you can, pay for a couple of extra checked bags, and we'll figure the rest out."

"Yeah. I'll talk to Tray and Amelia, I have a couple of ideas."

He leaned down and kissed me, it was contradictory, sweet and slow but full of passion and promise. Then he exhaled loudly. "I have to go."

"Yeah. You do."

We stood there, looking at each other, and I was afraid that he was going to be late, but I couldn't tell him to leave. There was a noise on the porch, and I pulled my eyes from his to see Amelia peeking through the screen door.

"Um, hey. I thought Eric would be gone. I was coming to break out the tiramisu or cocktails."

"You have perfect timing, Amelia. I'm walking out the door."

"Doesn't look like it. Looks like you two are about to grab each other and fuck on the rug."

Eric and I laughed, and it broke the tension, because we very well may have been about to attack each other and fuck on the rug. He turned and took my hand and walked towards the door.

"I'll call you when I get to California."

I nodded and he bent to kiss me; I expected it to be a quick peck, but he pulled me back into his arms, fiercely kissing me, and I gasped as his hands cupped my ass. Then he abruptly stepped back, kissed my forehead and walked away while I stood, dumbstruck and grinning.

"Fuck me. I love him."

"Me too, Amelia. Me too."

00oo00oo00oo00  
**  
EPOV**  
I was worn-out when the driver dropped me off at my house near Malibu. I called Sookie when the flight touched down. With the time change it was after midnight in Michigan, and she was exhausted. I think she was a little drunk thanks to Amelia, so we didn't talk long. After I'd left for the airport, she'd spent the day with her friend. Sookie told her the news that she was moving to California, at which point Amelia had broken out the tequila shots.

I started a load of laundry and was wandering around the house, imagining Sookie in each room when my cell rang.

"Northman. I thought you'd never get home. I think some of your fans have forgotten you."

"Hello, Pam."

"Your little bloggess didn't want to see you off? There's a shadowy picture online of you kissing goodbye in her cottage and pictures of you alone at the airport."

"I had a rental car to return. It would have been dumb to take two cars to the airport. My bloggess, as you call her, was back at her cottage packing her things-"

"Ah, yes," she interrupted. "Her patriotic vacation."

"That, and she's moving into my house."

"Oh, fuck me. Are you serious? You can't blindside me with this shit." She cursed a few more times, and in several languages in the course of a few seconds, then said, "I'm coming over."

"Why? You can't bitch me out over the phone?" But she had hung up before I finished.

Her visit wasn't nearly as bad as I expected, and though she would never admit it, I think she mostly came over because she missed me. We didn't talk too much business, but she confirmed that Alcide had RSVP'd us for Ben and Jen's party and told me she was still working on getting us in for fireworks.

I asked for news on Sophie Anne, but she didn't know any more than I did, which I had learned from the tabloids in the airport. She was in New York City, still hitting the club scene with Lindsay Lohan and the Olsen's. She told a reporter the night before that "the truth would come out eventually." Pam had followed up with the statement that the _truth_, was that I was happily dating Sookie and hadn't seen or spoken to Sophie Anne since we finished shooting.

She sat back on the couch, sipping the scotch that I kept stocked just for her.

"I'm considering asking the studio about having you and that little bitch shoot during opposite hours."

"Pam, she's the vampire queen, and I'm one of her top advisors. We'll have scenes together."

"Well, she's lucky she's got a fucking job."

"She's creating a buzz for the show at least."

"You did not just fucking say that. Have we swapped brains tonight or what?"

I chuckled and took a drink of my water. My vacation had officially ended; I needed to get back to eating healthy and working out.

"Alright." She glanced at her watch. "I have a date. I'll talk to you later. Will you be at the gym in the morning?"

"Yeah. I'll see you there." I didn't know how she did it sometimes, going out on the town, or ending up in someone's bedroom until all hours of the night, and then heading to the gym or yoga studio each morning without fail.

"Sookie gets here Friday?"

"Yeah."

"Can I leak her flight info?"

"Let me think about that."

"They'll probably follow you to the airport anyway."

"I know." I said firmly. "Let me talk to Sookie."

"If she's moving in with you she's going to need to get used to it."

"I know, Pam."

"Fine. Fine. I'll see you in the morning."

The next few days went by in a whirlwind. I went to the studio for some wardrobe fittings and had dinner with Sam and Daphne one night. They were both excited to meet Sookie and were looking forward to going to Ben's cookout together. Daphne went out with a girlfriend, leaving Sam and I alone to drink beer out by their pool.

"So. I was right."

"Shit, Sam. Are you going to say 'I told you so' again? What, are we in junior high?"

He laughed. "No, I was just commenting that I was right that you two are perfect for each other."

"We really are. It's weird."

"You find what you're looking for when you stop looking for it."

"When's your shift on the Psychic Hotline?" I deadpanned.

"Shut up. You know what I mean. What's up with crazy?"

I knew he was referring to Sophie Anne. "Nothing new. Still dropping cryptic hints that we're together."

"I may have been wrong about her."

"What?" I asked incredulously.

"She might be certifiable, that's worse. I mean, you can call people crazy and shit, but I think she really is. How does Sookie feel about all that?"

"She can't believe Sophie Anne is continuing to lie. I don't know. I think until Blackhart gets out of rehab, Sophie Anne's going to keep partying her ass off, and no one is going to shut her up. But that's just my impression."

He snorted. "Yeah, and then her ass will end up in rehab or in a padded cell."

I sighed. "At this point I don't care where she ends up as long as she shuts up."

"Amen." He raised his beer in a salute before taking a drink.

"I'm taking Sookie to meet my mom this weekend."

Sam's beer sprayed a little before he could cover his mouth as he coughed. "What? Shit. You _are_ serious."

"I told you she was moving in with me."

"Yeah, but your mom? Dude. She'll start planning the wedding as soon as she meets her. I bet she's already buying stuff for her future grandchild."

"She was doing that before I met Sookie," I laughed.

"Well, tell Sookie that Daph likes to plan weddings."

"We're not engaged."

"Matter of time, Eric. Matter of time."

After a while we headed inside to play hockey on the Wii, and I switched to water so I could drive home later. He had an awesome big screen in his media room for playing Wii, and I told him about Sookie taking all of Bill's game stuff in the divorce. He just shook his head, and told me not to fuck it up.

Friday morning, Sookie and I texted a bit before her flight left.

**S: At the airport. C U soon. MWUAH**

**E: Mwuah? Evil laugh or a big fat kiss?**

**S: BIG kiss. Luv U.**

**E: Luv U more.**

**S: Not doing this. Dork. C U s(*)(*)n.**

I cracked up laughing at her boob drawing in the middle of the word 'soon.' I would have to remember that.

Close to eight hours later I stood in the "Arrivals" area of LAX airport, anxiously waiting for her. She had texted me when the plane touched down, so I knew it would be any minute.

**S: I'm here. U here?**

**E: I'm here. GET OUT HERE**

**S: I'm trying! LOL**

A rush of people were coming down the corridor, and I scanned their heads for her blond hair, wishing she was taller so she'd be easier to spot. Then I saw a blond ponytail bobbing and Sookie's big black sunglasses on top of her head. She was caught between some taller business men and hadn't seen me, but she was getting close. My heart beat a little faster, and I smiled to myself, ignoring the click of the cameras coming from behind me. I held up the little paper sign I'd made that read, "Sookie Stackhouse."

Her eyes lit up, and she laughed that beautiful, magical laugh that I loved when she saw me, or maybe it was the sign that made her laugh. Her gigantic purse nearly knocked me over when she jumped up, throwing her arms around me. We both laughed and she gave me a tight hug, then pulled back and put her hands on either side of my face as I held her up.

"I missed you," she whispered before kissing me.

The kiss was short, but sweet, and she knew we were being photographed and taped. Camera flashes were going off and the paparazzi were shouting questions at us. She slid down my chest, her hands moving to my waist and we grinned at each other.

"I missed you too." I wanted to run my hands all over her body, just to feel her again, or squeeze her against me and rub myself on her so everyone would know she was mine, but there were too many people watching us. I raised an eyebrow at her. "Luggage?"

"You know it. You'll want to get a cart."

I laughed, and she took my hand as we walked towards baggage claim. Neither of us said a word to the shouted calls of the photographers.

"I'm really here," She said, squeezing my hand.

I glanced over, and she was beaming from ear to ear. It wasn't her nervous smile, it was pure unadulterated joy, and I loved it. Everything around us disappeared, and I pulled our clasped hands up to my lips for a gentle kiss.

"Welcome to California, lover."

00oo00oo00oo00  
**A/N:**  
Alrighty. Sookie is in Cali. Sophie Anne is going off the deep end and I love both Sam and Amelia. Oh and Laf and his magic hands!  
Thanks sooo much for reading and taking time to review!


	20. Star Struck

**Title: Halo Effect**  
**Chapter 20: Star Struck**  
**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and put them on planes for cross country travel.**

**A/N:**  
WOO HOO! Sookie's in Cali! Yay! Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing. I still can't get over how much ya'll love it! It's been a blast to write, thanks again.

BIG Viking longship sized thanks to my betababes **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose. **And a holla to my Canadian brainstorming girl **Seastarr08** for helping me work out the kinks with my drag queen.

There are a bunch of links at the end of this chapter, so if you like that kinda thing - take a look.

00oo00oo00oo00  
**SPOV**

My heart was pounding as I came down that corridor looking for him. I could see his head over the crowd and the cameras behind him, but as I got closer, I saw that goofy handwritten sign.

The sign was just so, Eric. On the one hand, he had paparazzi watching his every move, but more than anything, he was just a guy, who didn't think ahead to print something out on the computer, but instead used the back side of some random piece of paper and a Sharpie to make a sign to meet me at the airport.

After laughing at the sign, the rest was a blur. I jumped up and kissed him. I was so happy to see him and feel his hands on me that I didn't care who saw or took pictures of us. We held hands as we walked towards baggage claim, and I was still a little surprised that it was all real, that I was shipping boxes of my belongings to join me in California to live with my boyfriend, who starred in a hit show on cable and exuded sex appeal. I needed to mentally adjust to my new reality. I had a feeling it might be a bumpy transition, but then Eric raised our joined hands to kiss the back of mine and welcomed me to California, and I knew that we'd be fine.

We picked up my luggage; I had checked three bags and was shipping everything else that I wanted out to California. I knew that I'd go back to Michigan at some point in the next few months, if anything because I would need to close up the cottage for winter, but mostly because I would miss it and everyone there.

Eric led me to his car while he pushed the cart with my luggage. At some point we lost the paparazzi, and I guessed that another celebrity must have landed at the airport. I was a little surprised to see him stopping behind and opening the back of a black Lexus sport utility vehicle. He loaded one of my bags in and saw me looking at him.

"What?"

"I didn't know you had this. I remember that you have three Corvettes. I guess it makes sense that you drive something else too, I just didn't think about it."

He smiled. "Yeah. I didn't know for sure how big your bags were, and there's not much storage in a Vette. I drive the red Vette most of the time, sometimes the black one too, but the blue one is just to look at."

I snorted. "Really? Just to look at?"

"Well, it's for special occasions."

"What is it?"

"A '67 Sting Ray convertible." He put my other bags in the car and closed the gate before coming around to open my door.

"Wow." I didn't really know much about cars, but I knew that was a nice one.

"I know it's kind of dumb to have a car you don't drive. But it's just been me, so I have a few expensive toys."

I smiled at him, and he put his arms around me as we stood inside the open door. "You don't have to defend yourself to me, Eric. I completely understand that you had a life before we met."

"Where have you been my whole life?" He teased.

I laughed. "I could ask the same question."

His face turned serious. "I'm so glad you're here. I can't wait for you to meet everyone."

"I can't wait to meet them." I stood on my tip toes and gently kissed him, then stepped back. "Take me home?"

"Yeah. Home." He smiled, and then moved out of the doorway so I could get in before closing the door behind me.

Eric drove us into the hills near Malibu. I tried to take everything in, but I was tired and it was easier to just sit and listen to Eric's voice as he described things to me. I smiled, thinking how much it reminded me of our road trip in Michigan.

"Here we are," he said as we pulled into his drive-way, parking in a long garage built into a hill.

The house looked sleek, if that was a word to describe a building. It had long lines, with a white stucco and river rock accented exterior. Even from the back side I could tell that it had a breathtaking view. The garage ran the underneath length of the house and had four stalls.

"Did you buy this house because it had a big enough garage for your toys?"

He looked at me strangely for a second and then laughed, "No. Believe it or not, in this price range, most houses have big garages."

"Oh. Um, I guess they would." I hadn't really thought about that.

"I picked this house because everything had been updated and because of the view. Just wait, you'll understand."

He got my bags out of the back of the car and led me up a short stairway to an interior door. We stepped into an open kitchen and family room, and I immediately understood what his brothers meant about it being modern. It wasn't cold or industrial though. What I could see was full of light colors and clean lines; it felt inviting and comfortable.

The next thing that struck me, were the windows on the far wall. Eric was exactly right, just seeing the view from this one room; I understood why he bought this house. From this vantage point I could see his pool, the hills and the ocean. The blue sky and water met, stretching out as far as I could see.

He chuckled beside me. "There's more. Come on, I'll show you the house."

There was a bedroom suite near the entry door we came through and an open area off the kitchen that held the dining room and a more formal living room. Then he led me down a long hallway that held the bathrooms, bedrooms and an office. Each bedroom had a sliding door that opened onto the pool.

At the end of the hall, he opened a door and said, "And here's the master bedroom."

He seemed a little nervous, and it was too sweet for words. I stepped in the door and grinned. The bed was nicely made, which I knew he didn't usually do, and there was a vase of fresh flowers on the dresser.

He set my bags down and opened the closet. "There's plenty of room in here for you. And I moved a dresser in here for you from the guest room."

"Eric," I sighed. "Thank you so much. This is a fabulous welcome."

"I know it's weird, moving across the country to live with me, but I really want you to feel like this is your place to. Whatever you want to change or decorate, just do it."

"Let me get my clothes put away before I start remodeling, okay?"

He laughed. "Sorry."

I inclined my head towards the bed and smiled, "Which side do you sleep on?"

He shook his head as he laughed, putting his arms around me. "You know what side I like." He leaned forward, and his lips brushed my ear. "But I'd rather be inside you."

"Mmm. Don't tease," I whispered.

He carried me to the bed, and it was a long time before either of us slept at all.

~0~0~

I woke in the morning a little disoriented. I wasn't in my bed. It was early, still dark outside, and I was exhausted. I stretched and took a deep breath. Eric. California. _Wow_. Eric was wrapped around me from behind like usual, and I gently extracted myself from his arms to go to the bathroom.

Grabbing Eric's discarded shirt from the floor, I pulled it on and went to the kitchen for a drink before realizing I had no idea where he, or we, I snickered, kept the glasses. I cupped my hand and drank from the faucet, then stood near the windows, enjoying the view over the hills and the water for a second before shivering. I went back down the hall and climbed into bed with Eric again. He immediately pulled me into his arms, mumbling something unintelligible. His breathing relaxed me, and I was back asleep in minutes.

When I woke again, it was to the sound of a doorbell. Again, it took me a minute to remember where I was. Eric was already pulling on pajama pants to see who was at the door.

I glanced at my watch, then pulled the covers back up and wondered who would be at Eric's door at eight o'clock in the morning. I heard Eric's feet padding down the hall, and then he climbed back into bed.

"Who was it?"

"Your friend with the magic hands," he mumbled, already trying to find sleep again.

"What?"

He sighed. "It's Lafayette, lover, or Martini, whatever, she's in a sundress. How does she know where I live anyway?"

I sat up, realizing I was still in nothing but one of Eric's t-shirts. "What? Oh. I sent her a text last night. Wait. Did you just leave her out there?"

"Yes," he huffed. "She was carrying a bunch of stuff in and told me to get out of the way so she could fix your booty, or make you a booty. Shit, I have no idea. She was looking at my chest, and it's just too fucking early for me to dish out snappy comebacks."

"Bootiful," I snickered. "She's here to make me bootiful."

"You are bootiful. I set the coffee stuff on the counter. I'll be up in a little bit."

I kissed his forehead over his already closed eyes and got up to throw on some clothes. I knew better than to take too long, or Martini would end up in bed with us. Although somehow, I also knew that Eric would have been able to laugh about it, whereas Bill would have threatened to wash the sheets.

"Hey you!" I called coming down the hall. There was a makeshift salon set up in the kitchen, and Martini had moved on to making coffee for us.

"Hey, yoself! Mmmm," she shook her head and gave me a hug. "Did you see what met me at the door? That chest should be bronzed. No, bronze ain't good enough; he need be dipped in gold. Do you even _know_ how lucky you is, bitch?"

"Are we talking about Eric, or how lucky I am that you're here to fix my hair?"

"Damn, girl. Both. This is straight up W.T. Yo hair should come with the keys to a damn trailer."

"Oh my god! It's not that bad!" I laughed and climbed into the chair that was set up for me.

"Well, it damn close. Who you been lettin' touch yo hair?"

"I only let Jenna do it, like you said."

"Well, it look like Jenna been tippin' somethin back before she do yo hair."

"I guess it's a good thing I just moved to California so you can take care of me again."

"Mmm hm."

A brush ran through my hair and then dropped on the floor.

"Back the motherfucking truck up. Did you jus say what I thought you did?"

"Yup."

"Sweet baby Jay-sus! Do I get to do loverboy's hair too?"

I laughed, but before I could say anything, Eric answered as he entered the kitchen, "I'll consider it."

Martini's eyes glittered. "I would be honored."

I almost choked on my coffee as she looked at my boyfriend in reverence. "Hey, I'm your muse today. Make me beautiful."

"A girl can dream. Now, where was I?"

Eric refilled my coffee cup and poured his own. He had showered and shaved and was wearing khaki shorts and a polo. He sat quietly at the bar for a few minutes watching us.

"I'll be in the office if you two need me," Eric said as he started down the hall, and I knew he walked right into that one.

"Oh, don't go too far. I can tell you right now that I need you," Martini joked.

Eric chuckled. "On that note, I'll be locking the door."

My hair was highlighted, lowlighted, conditioned and cut before we were finished. Then, we went down to the bedroom and while I unpacked, Martini tried to help me decide what to wear to Ben and Jen's cookout. I was thankful that there was a large arm chair in the room. I don't think Eric was ready for the squeals of a drag queen when she rolled around on his bed.

We decided on black shorts and a gray tank top with a draped neck made from an almost see through material. I laughed when Martini pointed it out, because I bought it after seeing pictures of Eric at a club in a gray t-shirt made from the same material. We dug through the shoes that I had packed, finding a great pair of little black sandals that were perfect.

We went in the bathroom, and I sat on the toilet seat while she did my make up. It was like old times, in her apartment back in Chicago before we went out with friends. I hadn't thought about it, but having Lafayette here, or Martini, or whoever she wanted to be on any given day, was already making me feel at home.

When we finished and she pronounced me "bootiful," she packed up the kitchen and got ready to leave, air kissing each of my cheeks. She made me promise to call with all the details later.

"Eric, Martini's leaving," I called out. "Come say goodbye."

He stepped out of the office and began to say goodbye, but his eyes caught on me, in my cute outfit and professionally styled hair and make up, and I watched his eyes take me in, slowly.

Martini gasped, and her heavily mascara'd eyes pinned me with a jealous look. "You's so fucking lucky. Damn. Details. Later."

The door shut behind her, and Eric was closing in on me. "Sookie, you look amazing."

"Thank you." I felt my cheeks getting pink.

"I mean, you always look good," he started to back peddle.

I put my hand on his chest. "I know what you mean. I told you, she's magic."

"Seriously. I wouldn't have thought you could look any better, but, it's like. I don't know. You look really great. I'll shut up."

We stood, smiling at each other in the hallway.

"I really want to kiss you," he chuckled. "But I don't want to mess anything up."

I snorted. "You can touch everything but my hair."

"Really?" His eyebrow raised, and I knew I was in trouble. He stepped forward, putting his hands on my waist before sliding them up under my shirt.

"Eric," I breathed, as his hands cupped my breasts, and his nose slid along my neck.

"I'm not touching your hair," he whispered before his lips covered mine.

We kissed lazily. My hands went to his waist, sliding around to his amazing ass. I heard myself moan, and then Eric chuckled and ended the kiss, lightly pressing his lips to my forehead.

"Let's go, lover, before I decide I don't want to share you with the rest of Los Angeles."

We took the black Vette to the cook out. Eric had hesitated in the garage, looking wistfully at the red convertible and then at my hair, but it had only been a millisecond, then he waggled his eyebrows at me and opened the passenger door to the black sports car.

We drove to Pacific Palisades, and Eric warned me that they had a $20 million home. He laughed at the look on my face; I couldn't even imagine what I must have looked like. There were some nice homes in Chicago, like the Obama's, but even the mansions on the Gold Coast or the North Shore weren't that expensive.

"But really, they're pretty normal people."

I snorted.

"No really. They pick the kids up from school themselves, and Sam said this party last year was totally laid back. It's probably like a cook-out you'd go to at Amelia and Tray's."

That made me laugh out loud. I appreciated his trying to prepare me for the 'Hollyweirdness.' I looked over at him, "I won't embarrass you."

"Oh my god. Shit. I didn't mean that."

I laughed. "Oh, no. I didn't think you did. I mean, I'm okay. I can't wait to meet Sam and Daphne, and Ben and Jennifer too. But I don't think this will be anything like a cook-out at Amelia and Tray's house. I highly doubt that Ben's brother is going to get drunk and pee in the bushes."

It was Eric's turn to laugh. "I haven't met Ben's brother, but I'd have to guess he'll be there. I'll let you know if I see him stagger towards the bushes."

"Thanks. Oh, and just so you know, I googled it. Jen changed her last name to Affleck."

"Ooh. You're good. Pam will like that you remembered to find out. She's the one that usually gives me little tidbits like that. What else should I know?"

"If you see a golden retriever, her name's Martha Stewart."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"The kids?"

"Violet and Seraphina. Please tell me you knew that much."

"I did," he laughed. "I was making sure you knew!"

"Sure thing."

We turned into a winding driveway and Eric raised a hand in hello to a security guard who waved us on when he recognized saw who was in the car. When we pulled up to the front of the house, a valet had opened the door for me, before Eric could come to around to my side. I climbed out and Eric came around the back of the car to take my hand. He raised an eyebrow at me, silently asking if I was ready, and we walked up the steps into the house.

There were a few people inside, they nodded hello to us, but it was clear that the party was in the back yard area. We walked through the open doors onto the patio, and there were more people milling around than I expected, and several groups of kids playing in the yard.

Someone called Eric's name, and I have to admit, my heart beat a little faster when I realized that it was Sam, who was standing with Ben and several other men that I didn't recognize.

Eric raised his chin, acknowledging them and began leading me through the groups of people on the patio. As we got closer to them, he squeezed my hand, and I grinned as I squeezed him right back.

"Sam, Ben. Good to see you!"

"Eric, glad you could make it," Ben answered and shook Eric's hand, then he smiled at me and I melted a little. "You must be Sookie. Jen was excited that you were coming, she has restaurants she wants to take you to for your blog."

"Oh, well. That would be fun," I managed to stammer and I felt Eric's hand rubbing the small of my back.

I smiled sweetly as a million thoughts ran through my head, and the scene continued to unfold around me. Ben knew my name. Jen wanted to meet me. Sam Merlotte was saying hello to us.

Eric kissed the top of my head and chuckled, knowing I was overwhelmed. "Thanks for inviting us, Ben."

_Us_. I wanted to giggle, he hadn't invited us, he'd invited Eric, but now we were a package deal. I took a deep breath and prayed that I could relax.

Eric continued, "Hey, Sam. Where's Daph?"

Ben had turned to the other men he was standing with, and their group slowly drifted away. It was probably better that way; I needed a little time to get my bearings.

Sam pointed to a petite woman who was walking towards us with light brown hair. She was carrying two bottles of beer, one of which she raised in a little salute towards us.

"Sookie!" Her voice was sweet and had a southern accent. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"I'm glad I'm here, too!" I joked before really thinking about it and everyone laughed. "It's nice to meet you and Sam. Eric has told me a lot about you."

"Oh, honey, you have no idea how happy I was when Eric told Sammy that you two were really dating. Eric has been clueless when it comes to finding a girlfriend."

"Hey! That's not true." He laughed.

"Really?" she continued, teasing him. "Your mother set you up on your last date."

"Awww," I chuckled. "It's hard to meet people, and being a celebrity, it must be worse."

"Exactly." He was still trying to defend himself. Then quietly, he said, "But, I managed to find you."

I kissed his cheek. "We found each other."

Sam made a gagging noise while Daphne grinned. I realized we were being sickly sweet, and Eric must have as well because we both laughed at the same time.

"So, who's here that Sookie needs to meet? She's looking for Matt Damon."

I slapped his arm, but saw Daphne's face light up.

"Yeah. They're not here yet. They were here last year. I'll let you know when I see them."

Eric and Sam groaned, and I knew that Daphne and I would be good friends. She was still absently holding the two beers, and handed me one with a smile. The guys wandered off in search of their own drinks, while Daphne and I leaned on the patio wall getting to know each other.

She and Sam were from a small town in Louisiana and after a little bit, she said, "Honey, don't let this celebrity stuff get to you. I did at first, but at the end of the day, they're all just people. Well, people with a shit load of money," she laughed. "But they're like Sam and Eric. Mostly they just want to be treated like anybody else. Some of them are complete assholes because of the way the adoring public fawns over them, and you just have to let it go. It's like in anything else in life, there are always a couple of bad apples, if you know what I mean."

"Thanks. I'm still a little amazed by the attention that Eric gets, but it comes with him, and so I'll figure it out. Today though, more than anything, I didn't want to embarrass him."

"Sugar, you're not three sheets to the wind with your boobies hanging out. I wouldn't worry about embarrassing him."

We talked for a long time, and I was thankful to have met her and found someone I felt comfortable with in California right away, well, besides Lafayette. I could see Eric and Sam in the distance talking with Jimmy Kimmel and Jon Favreau on the other side of the patio. I would have loved to know what they were talking about. I thought they were hysterical on their own.

Daphne appreciated my commentary as I took in the celebrities and their families on the lawn. She gave me little tidbits of information about them when she could, and even introduced me to Reese Witherspoon.

I looked around the yard and it was like, an interesting mix of thirty-something Hollywood, and I was still a little awed to be in the middle of it. Molly Simm's and Jessica Alba were sitting together talking quietly. Chris O'Donnell and his family were playing Bocce with Jason Bateman's family, and Ben's brother Casey was sitting with his wife and kids eating lunch. I snickered and told Daphne about the conversation Eric and I had earlier. She laughed, saying she wouldn't put it past Casey to pee in the bushes, but not until much later in the evening when it got down to close friends and family.

After a bit, Jennifer Affleck came over and introduced herself, thanking Daphne and me for coming. I kept my fangirl nerves in check and only told her how much I loved her show _Alias_ once. She chuckled, and thanked me, then told me that she was a big fan of my blog.

I had a million questions. When did she start reading it? How did she find out about it? Had she gone to any restaurants I'd reviewed? What kind of food did she like? Did she like to cook? Or did she simply appreciate good food?

I knew better than to ask everything I was thinking. I thanked her profusely and asked how she had found out about the blog. She laughed, saying that her assistant had googled me after Eric had RSVP'd, and she'd ended up spending hours reading through my blog. Another guest called her name, but before she walked away, she told me that she had some restaurants that she would love to take me to. I nodded vigorously, telling her I'd love to go and over her shoulder she said she would call me.

I turned to Daphne, wide eyed and giddy with excitement, and she smiled back. "See, Sookie. They're just people."

Eric and Sam eventually came over to join us, and they each introduced me to some friends that worked on their respective shows. We moved over to the food tent that was set up on the lawn and had something to eat. When we finished eating, Daphne challenged the guys to a game of Bocce.

I had only played a couple of times before, and it was always after Amelia had fed me several drinks, so it took me a few throws to get warmed up. We were enjoying ourselves, laughing and talking when Daphne elbowed me to point out Matt Damon. We giggled, and Eric shook his head when he realized who we were looking at.

The afternoon slipped away as we mingled with the other guests and continued visiting with Sam and Daphne. Ben and Jen chatted with us a couple more times, and Don Cheadle came over and introduced himself to the four of us, telling the guys that he watched their shows. Eric and Sam got all excited when he walked away, talking about his best performances, and I couldn't let it go without teasing Eric a little.

"Who's the fangirl now?"

Eric laughed, with a smile stretched across his face. "Sookie, it was Don Cheadle. He so deserves fangirling over."

"God, yes," Sam joined in. "I mean, _Hotel Rwanda, Crash, Reign Over Me_. Amazing."

"_Talk to Me, Boogie Nights_," Eric interrupted.

"Not to mention Basher Tarr from the _Ocean's Eleven_ movies. He's awesome."

"Boys, relax!" Daphne said while we grinned at their excitement. She leaned her head towards mine. "Whatever you do, don't bad mouth John Wayne or Clint Eastwood."

Sam barked a laugh, then reached over and pulled her into a headlock before rubbing her scalp with his knuckles.

Eric chuckled and took the opportunity to pull me into his arms for a gentle kiss.

The sun was setting when we finally made our way back through the house to the car. Daphne and I exchanged phone numbers, and she promised to show me around town soon. We said goodbye to the Merlotte's and climbed into Eric's car.

As we pulled down the driveway, Eric joined our hands and gave mine a little squeeze. "You made it through your first Hollywood party."

"I did," I chuckled, oddly proud of myself.

"Well, Miss Stackhouse, I believe I promised you a hot dog. I thought I would take you to Pinks."

I laughed, remembering the night he asked me to come to L.A. for Fourth of July. I still had amnesia then, and he had been telling me that I liked Chicago dogs.

"Eric, you don't ever need to ask if I want you to give me hot beef."

I seriously thought he was going to drive off the road because he was laughing so hard. When he recovered, he shook his head at me, grinning.

"You're trouble."

00oo00oo00oo00  
**A/N:**  
Ba ha ha. You're still laughing about the beef line, aren't you? When I was trying to create her comeback, all I could think of was the line in The Breakfast Club, "C'mon Sporto, level with me. Did you give her the hot beef injection?" So - 'hot beef' _had_ to be fit in somewhere. *snort*

Thanks again for reading! You guys are the best!

Below are 12,000 links to things related to this chapter that you may want to check out, or you may want to ignore. Whatever floats yer boat. OH - but if you don't know who Don Cheadle is - you need to check out his IMDb page and rent some of his stuff. Amazing. For real. http:/www(dot)imdb(dot)com/name/nm0000332/

The car that Eric only looks at.  
Blue 67 Corvette Sting Ray  
http:/yfrog(dot)com/j567corvettej

Sookie's tank top for the cook out - made out of the almost see-through material that Skarsy loves. http:/yfrog(dot)com/mu1205895pdetailedj

Article about Ben and Jen's House:  
http:/www(dot)eonline(dot)com/uberblog/b119238_ben_affleck_jen_garner_imagine(dot)html

The guest list I used was derived from these articles:  
Jen's 38th Birthday party  
http:/www(dot)people(dot)com/people/article/0,,20361917_20772221,00(dot)html  
http:/www(dot)popsugar(dot)com/Pictures-Jennifer-Garner-Reese-Witherspoon-Ben-Affleck-More-Garners-38th-Birthday-8158716

And if you don't know - Bocce aka Lawn Bowling is uber fun!  
http:/en(dot)wikipedia(dot)org/wiki/Bocce

PINKS hot dogs:  
http:/www(dot)pinkshollywood(dot)com/


	21. Fireworks and More Fireworks

**Title: Halo Effect  
Chapter 21: Fireworks and More Fireworks  
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and put them on planes for cross country travel.**

**A/N:**  
K - I usually post first thing in the morning from the office *shhhh* but it turns out that our system 'has been compromised." Or something totally cryptic like that according to IT - so, our whole computer system is DOWN and I will be accessing wi-fi from McDonald's when necessary. God Bless small town America. *snort* Long story, short - I'm posting tonight cuz I'm not sure when I will be able to tomorrow.

HUGE thank yous to my beta's** A Redhead Thing **and **Sapfirerose, **and for my additional prereader this week **TVgirl_Nicole** for giving me feedback on the Cali portions - and correcting a couple of goofs!

00oo00oo00oo00

**EPOV**  
After I was able to stop laughing over Sookie's hot beef comment, we drove to Pinks at the corner of Melrose and La Brea. It was only about fifteen miles, but with the traffic, it took over half an hour to get there. There was a long line, there was always a line at night, and we took our place, waiting with everyone else.

Sookie joked that she should try their version of a Chicago dog, but continued ooh-ing and ah-ing over the menu as we slowly moved forward. When it was our turn, she still couldn't decide what she wanted and ordered a Mullholland Drive Dog with grilled onions and mushrooms, nacho cheese & bacon, as well as a Guacamole Dog with tomatoes and salsa. She joked about her love for Mexican food and I raised an eyebrow at her. I ordered a Nacho Chilli Cheese Dog and fries, and we stepped aside to wait for our food.

I carried our tray to the small area that held a few tables, and we grabbed a table for two as another couple left. Sookie snapped a few pictures with her phone before digging in to try her dogs. She was adorable, focusing on her food, oblivious to everything around us, including a few people snapping pictures of us.

She picked up the Mullholland dog, and I thanked god I was sitting down as I watched her lips wrap around the bun. Nacho cheese dripped on her chin as she pulled the dog away from her mouth. I wiped away the cheese with my finger, then sucked it off and watched Sookie's eyes go wide. I winked at her and picked up my own dog, making the same 'O' shaped face that she had.

"Who's the trouble maker now?" She laughed.

"What? I'm just eating my hot beef."

She threw her head back and laughed, then leaned forward for a kiss. My eyes caught on a photographer over her shoulder, and I wondered if she realized how many people were watching us, and how many people would see the picture of us kissing by morning.

"I'm ignoring them," she said quietly, and then her lips touched mine.

It was a soft, short kiss that couldn't be mistaken as anything but intimate, and I felt her burrow a little further into my heart.

She sat back and raised an eyebrow at me, as if to say, "See, I'm not afraid," then picked up her Mullholland dog again. She took a couple of bites, and then stopped to wash it down with lemonade.

I reached across the table and took her hand before she could pick up her other hotdog. I looked at our hands, then up at her eyes. "Promise me you'll tell me when you can't ignore them, or when it gets to be too crazy."

"I will," she said quietly. "You might have to let me go home once in a while to recharge."

"You can do whatever you want. You don't need permission. I just," I sighed. "I know it's a lot."

She shrugged. "It is, but I love you a lot, so it works out."

We finished eating and managed to get back to the car with only a couple of paparazzi following us. I had seen Jay Leno pull up while we were eating, so thankfully the photographers were occupied with him. I looped around to head back to Malibu, and we talked about the Los Angeles landmarks that she wanted to see, like the Capitol Records building and Gruaman's Chinese Theater. She really wanted to see the Hollywood sign, and asked me what I knew about it. I told her what I knew, that it was built in 1923 to advertise a new housing development called "Hollywoodland" and the last four letters were removed in 1945, and promised to look up more for her later.

It was late by the time we made it back to the house, and Sookie was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. She stopped when we got inside, and looked around.

"Can you show me where stuff is in the house tomorrow?"

I smiled at her. "What do you need, lover?"

"I need a glass. I wanted a drink of water last night, and I had no idea where they were. You got mugs out for coffee this morning and I ate the fruit and cheese Martini brought for lunch. So, yeah, I don't know where anything is."

I walked over to the cabinet and pulled down a glass for her, sitting it by the sink, then turned and wrapped her in my arms. "Sorry. I guess I'm a shitty welcoming committee. I'll show you where everything is tomorrow, or you can explore on your own. Whatever you want."

"Right now I want to sleep. I'm exhausted."

"Sounds good."

I took her hand and we headed down the hall to our bedroom. It should have been crazy to think of it as _ours _since she'd only slept there one night and hadn't done anything but unpack her suitcase, but it seemed natural to think of it that way.

We spent most the next day alternating between relaxing at the pool and exploring the house. When we went through the kitchen, Sookie sat on the counter and watched as I opened cabinets and drawers, showing her where things were. She quizzed me and started a list of things she would either have Amelia ship or buy. Apparently, a roasting pan was an important piece of kitchen hardware, and the hand mixer that I had would not work to make Christmas cookies. In the living room, we made out on the couch for a while before I showed her how to use the remote control that worked the TV, surround sound, and DVR. In the afternoon, I went to the gym for a quick workout while Sookie got some sun by the pool, then we showered and changed before heading into Hollywood for fireworks.

When I got back from Michigan, I ran into my friend Nicole at the store and she invited us to join her and her husband at her in-laws' house in Malibu for fireworks. However, she and her husband Alex were trying to get pregnant, and Nic had told me that her in-laws secluded pool was a great place to skinny dip, so I didn't want to intrude. I figured they could use the alone time to make their own fireworks, so I declined, promising to get together with them soon. I thought about the fireworks shows that I knew of, and decided on the one that I thought would be the best way to experience L.A. and see the fireworks at the same time.

I made a quick stop on our way through town to pick up food from Malibu Kitchen. They didn't have the friendliest staff, but the food was delicious. We jumped on the highway and headed for the Hollywood Bowl. Sookie had been thrilled when I told her where we were going, and I thought she might burst with joy when I grabbed the picnic basket on our way out the door. I had gotten us tickets in the boxed seating area down front and used my donor parking pass for valet. I carried the picnic basket in one hand, and held Sookie's hand in the other as we walked to our seats.

She did a good job of looking nonchalant about everything, but her hand was sweaty, and she was sticking tight to my side. I nodded at a few people I recognized; directors and producers from some of the smaller shows I'd done, and a few big names that had Sookie squeezing my hand. We made it to our seats and settled in, we were sharing a box with a couple named Deirdre and Allen Stephayn. We enjoyed our dinner and sipped wine and in typical form, Sookie made friends the Stephayn's, and soon we were all talking about wine, the summer concert series at the Bowl, _Bloodlust _and Sookie's blog.

After a while I heard Deirdre ask Sookie how long she would be in town. I waited for her answer. We hadn't made any kind of official statement, and I wondered how she would answer. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sookie glance at me and then turn back to her.

"I'm not really sure," she laughed. "I guess you could say until he kicks me out."

I shook my head and put my hand on the small of her back. "Then I guess I'm stuck with you," I said quietly.

Both women grinned, and Deirdre said, "That's sweet."

I wondered exactly how long before the play by play of that interaction would be posted in a tabloid. I kind of hoped it wouldn't be; Deirdre was closer to our age while her husband was my parents' age, so I had a feeling that she knew what it was like to be talked about. I hated that I was becoming so cynical that I thought about the paparazzi and tabloids with almost every move we made together.

Deirdre was talking with the women in the box next to us and Sookie turned towards me with a smile. "I'm still okay. Are you?"

It was spooky the way she could read me sometimes. Our eyes met, and I nodded, smiling at her reassuringly. She looked at me for a few seconds, like she was making sure she believed me, then Deirdre spoke to her again about places that she _had_ to visit while she was in L.A. I turned back to Allen, who was talking with the men in the next box over, and joined in their discussion about baseball and our favorite golf courses.

A little while later, the performances began and took our seats. I tried to sit in the corner so I didn't block the view of the people behind us. With my arm around Sookie's shoulder, I found the Los Angeles Philharmonic much more interesting than they had ever been when I sat with Pam. Sookie's face was expressive as she listened to the music. She would lean over and tell me about particular pieces that she liked or about someone funny that she noticed in the crowd. Vince Gill did a set, singing some of his hits, I recognized one or two of the songs, and so did Sookie, but country wasn't really our thing.

When it was fully dark, the finale began with a fireworks display synchronized to music by John Phillip Sousa. I smiled and leaned close to Sookie, telling her that Sousa was one of my dad's favorites. She grinned back, and then was startled at the pop of the next firecracker. I leaned over and kissed her as the sky was illuminated with colors above us. The kiss was short, but sweet, and as intimate as it could be in the middle of 180,000 people. When the kiss ended, I tightened my arm around her shoulder, and her hand came up to hold mine while she snuggled up against my side.

The firework show only lasted about ten minutes, but it was spectacular and felt truly patriotic. It had been my first time at the Bowl for fireworks, and I laughed to myself, thinking how absolutely right I had been when I told her we would start a new tradition together; I could imagine coming here every July with her for years to come.

**SPOV**  
I loved L.A. It was pop-culture and glamour to the extreme, and although I wasn't sure where I fit in to that mix, I was enjoying everything about it. I could already tell that Sam and Daphne were going to be a blessing as friends. They would definitely help keep me grounded in reality, and Daphne understood how skittish I was about the whole fame thing.

I was proud of myself for surviving two major tests; the party at Ben and Jen's and the Hollywood Bowl Fourth as our first public outing in L.A. So far, the only thing that had shown up in the rags, as Eric called them, were pictures of us at the airport and at Pinks. The ones at Pinks were my favorites, well, aside from the pictures of us slathering sunscreen on each other in Michigan.

These new pictures were similar to the sunscreen pictures, in that they captured a moment that I could see much more clearly as an outsider. Sitting there at Pinks, eating my hotdog, Eric had looked like he wanted to jump over the table and devour me, and I had no idea what I had done, but in the pictures, holy hell, I saw what he saw. I hadn't even thought about it at the time, but my mouth around that hotdog bun was pretty damn phallic.

"I don't think I will ever be able to eat a hotdog around you again without thinking about sex."

He laughed over the top of the morning paper. "That makes two of us."

We drank coffee on the patio, trading sections of the newspaper after I finished looking at the pictures of us online. When my coffee was gone, I sighed, knowing that it was time to get in the shower and get ready for the day. Not just any day, _the_ day. The meet Eric's parents day.

We were flying up to San Jose and coming home in the morning. I thought flying there was crazy until Eric told me it would be a six hour drive and only an hour flight. I offered to pay for my ticket, and he just told me thanks for offering, but it was taken care of.

I wasn't used to either of those things yet; not paying my way or being taken care of, and I just stood there watching him as he went about packing his overnight bag. It was a good feeling, knowing that we were in it together. Even when I was with Bill I'd mostly been on my own. This team mentality with Eric was something entirely new to me.

"What?" he asked, setting his bag on the bed and putting his hands on my shoulders.

I hadn't realized how long I was standing there until he touched me and I saw that his bag was zipped closed and he was ready to go.

"Oh my gosh! I got lost for a second there."

He nodded. "I noticed. Good thoughts?"

"Yes." I smiled. "Let me get my things from the bathroom and I'll be ready."

~0~0~0~0~0~

We walked towards baggage claim holding hands, and I saw a very tall, very blond woman bouncing up and down with the biggest smile humanly possible covering her face. The man standing next to her was equally as tall, with a little bit darker hair and small reading glasses with round frames. He was smiling too, but you could tell he was much more subdued than his wife. Together, they were everything that made up Eric. His looks, his charisma and his desire to blend in, were on full display in these two people who were thrilled to see him.

For a brief second I felt sad that there was no family to welcome me home at an airport; that I would never be able to introduce Eric to my parents, and then his mother was crushing me in a hug.

"Oh Eric, she's so tiny!" she gushed. Then she released me and I was afraid she might cry. "You're so pretty! She's so pretty in person!"

"Mom. Stop."

"What? Oh. I'm sorry, Sookie." She stood a little straighter and took a deep breath. "Hi, I'm Elsa and this is my husband, Jens. It's so nice to meet you."

Eric's dad had clasped him in a slap on the back man-hug, while his mom was clutching me. After the introduction he gave me a smile that said he knew how insane his wife was and gave me quick hug.

"Luggage?" Jens asked.

"No. We're good." Eric answered.

"Sookie, let me take your bag."

I thanked him and gladly handed off my duffel. Eric reached to take my hand at the same time his mother linked arms with me on the other side. I glanced at Eric and he shook his head and released my hand.

He leaned towards me, and said quietly, "It'll be okay. She's just excited."

"So," Jens said. "Christoffer is at the house."

"What?" Eric and I both asked at once.

"He flew down for a meeting and extended his weekend. We'll bring you all to the airport in the morning." Eric shrugged and his dad said quietly, "I think he wanted to see your mom's reaction to Sookie."

"Oh, I _know_ that's what he wanted." Eric laughed.

We made it to the car, an Audi sedan, and I almost burst out laughing when Jens inclined his head at Elsa, directing her to the front seat.

Eric sighed. "Mom. She's coming home with us. Back off or we're staying at a hotel."

Her head whipped around faster than I thought possible, and I squeezed his hand tightly, she looked heartbroken.

"Eric," I whispered.

"Mom, we're not staying at a hotel. Just bring it down a notch okay?"

The ride to his parents' house was fairly quiet. Eric had definitely hurt his mom's feelings, and his dad was letting things settle down. Eric and his dad talked quietly, and Jens asked me a few questions about my trip to California. There was no way in hell that I was dropping the bomb that I moved in with Eric. That was on him, and I seriously hoped he told his mom soon, and in private.

Chris was on the patio waiting for us. He had a pitcher of margaritas mixed and looked like he had already sampled one or two of them.

"Bro! What's up? Sookie! Good to see you!"

Oh yes, he'd been into the margaritas already.

We said our hellos, and I stepped back, "Elsa, could you show where the bathroom is?"

Eric smiled and sat down with his brother and father, while his mother led me back into the house.

"Um. I guess I should apologize," she said nervously. "I'm just glad to see him happy. And you seem like such a nice girl." I looked at her blankly. "The boys told me all about their trip to Michigan. They're all pretty taken with you, and that's impressive."

"Oh, well, I'm pretty taken with all of them, too." I laughed. "But the oldest one in particular."

She smiled at me, and it was genuine, not overly excited and crazy. "Here's the bathroom. Eric's room is across the hall, you two will sleep in there. It's a small bed, but I'm sure you'll make it work." She winked at me, and walked away.

I stood there, dumbfounded. Eric had said his mom was excited to meet me. He never mentioned that she wanted us to have sex in his childhood room.

Thoughts of going to the bathroom put on hold, I pushed the door to Eric's room open; it was full of the remnants of high school Eric. There were newspaper clippings, pictures, and medals on the cork-board, along with prom and senior pictures on the shelf. There was a double bed, thank god it wasn't a twin, but it would be plenty small to share with Eric's gigantic body.

Jens had put my bag on the bed, so I found my face wash and headed to the bathroom. When I opened the door to put my things back, Eric was standing near the desk, reading something on the cork-board.

"Hey."

"Hey," he said, turning to face me. "I am so unbelievably sorry. I can't even explain to you what the fuck is going on with her."

"Well, I can. Your brothers have already given me the stamp of approval, and she just told me your bed was small but we'd _make it work_." I raised an eyebrow at him and waited for it to sink in. "She wants grandkids, Eric. And you're the closest one to having them."

"Sven is moving in with Rachel. She doesn't even know that you moved to California." He sighed. "She's always been a little nutty about the people we dated. I was just hoping she wouldn't act crazy in, oh I don't know, the first ten seconds of your visit."

I laughed and put my arms around him. "It's okay. She totally freaked me out at first. But I thought about it, and it's actually kind of sweet, in a neurotic thank god she lives six hours away from us kind of way."

His arms came around me, and he chuckled, nodding. "I should go tell her that you moved in with me. She'll probably squeal and end up needing to go to her room." He sighed. "Please don't flip out if she starts showing you her wedding pictures or something. I mean, I know the baby pictures are coming, but she's off the charts today, I can't even predict what she's going to do."

"It's okay, Eric. Just remind yourself how lucky you are that you don't have to meet my parents."

"I would love to meet your parents."

"Oh yeah? My dad would have met you at the front door with a baseball bat."

"But would your mom have crushed me in a gigantic hug?"

I snorted. "I don't know about that, but she would have made you sleep on the couch, that's for sure."

We went back out to the pool to visit with the rest of the family. Chris was telling their parents that Sven had called while they were picking us up. He had moved his things down to Denver and was getting ready to start work. Jens and Elsa laughed when Eric mentioned that he was planning to send him a care package that included dress shoes.

The rest of the afternoon passed by without another weird outburst from Elsa. She asked appropriate questions about my life and my blog. Eric told his parents about our emails and that Sam had wanted us to meet, and Elsa thought it was the most romantic thing she'd ever heard. Jens leaned over and told me quietly that she said that about once a week.

Elsa stood to excuse herself to make dinner and Chris smiled in excitement.

"What?" Eric asked him.

"She got up early. She made meatballs and boiled potatoes this morning. She's making your favorite Swedish meatballs and my favorite mashed potatoes."

"No shit?"

"Language," Jens admonished.

Chris laughed at Eric getting in trouble. "Yeah, I saw herring and pickled cucumbers in the fridge from that specialty store in Oakland too."

"The Nordic House? Cool. Sookie, do you like herring?"

"I'll eat a little."

"Eric," his father said quietly. "Go tell your mother that Sookie has moved to California."

I looked at his dad in shock. Had Eric told him? How did he know? From the look on Eric's face, I realized that he was surprised as well.

"You're still scary dad."

"I just know these things. You want me to come with you?"

"Kind of. She might strangle me with joy."

"Alright, let's go."

They went inside, leaving me at the table with Chris, who had continued drinking margaritas.

"Did he forget to tell you our family was nuts?"

I laughed. "He warned me about your mom."

He shrugged and sipped his drink.

I heard Elsa scream in excitement from the kitchen, and Chris and I laughed. We sat and talked quietly for a while and then both Jens and Eric came to join us. I asked if I should go help, but they told me no because she wouldn't let me help anyway.

Eric quietly told me that after screaming, his mom left the room for a minute, then she came back wiping her eyes and gave him a big hug. He said his dad told her to behave and went back to making mashed potatoes like nothing had happened.

A little while later, Elsa called us in for dinner. The table was set beautifully and there was a spread of food that would feed way more than the five of us. She had poured wine for all of us and when we were all seated she gave a toast.

"To Eric and Sookie finding each other."

It was unexpected, but sweet, and I could see Eric watching her, afraid she was going to say something more, but she was finished. We all clinked our glasses with each other and began passing the serving bowls around to fill our plates.

The food was delicious and small talk continued around the table as we ate. When the main course was finished and at least two bottles of wine were consumed, Elsa brought over a chocolate cake. She expertly cut into it, the way that only a mother who'd put on numerous birthday parties could, and began passing out slices of dessert. And then she made me want to hide under the table.

"Sookie, I read that you were divorced. Were you married for a long time?"

"Mom!" Eric and Chris said at the same time.

"It's okay." I loved that even Chris was protective of me. "We were married eight years, but we were together for ten."

"Oh, I see. That's a long time. Did you not want children?"

I was so mortified I couldn't speak. Eric's fist was tight around his fork, and Chris was shaking his head. It was Jens that spoke.

"Elsa. Enough." Then he said something in angry rapid Swedish.

She looked surprised at our reactions. "I read that he has a baby now. You were together a long time, but you didn't have kids." The color drained from her face. "Oh, sweetie, you can't have kids?"

Tears were pouring out of my eyes. I had no idea what was going on around me, but I stood and mumbled, "He didn't want children with me, apparently."

I turned and walked to the bedroom in a daze. I heard Eric's voice behind me, but I had no idea what he was saying, and I really didn't care.

When I grabbed the door and went to swing it shut, it stopped hard, banging on what turned out to be Eric's foot behind me. I didn't turn around. I had no idea what to say. Eric and I had talked about kids, we both knew we wanted them, but we hadn't really talked about having them together, which clearly was what his mother was trying to get at when she questioned my fertility.

"Sookie."

Her question had been totally inappropriate, but what had me reeling, was the thought that she had gotten her skewed idea from the stupid tabloids. The ongoing Sophie Anne debacle was bad enough, but now I got this slap in the face. Were there thousands of people out there thinking that I didn't want, or couldn't have, children? And did I care, or was I just shocked that people might think that?

I walked over to the window, not so much ignoring him, but lost in thought. I looked out at the pool area, trying to stop hearing her voice in my head. Eric's arms wrapped around me, and I felt his chin on top of my head.

"I'm so sorry. We really can go stay at a hotel."

I started to laugh, and tried to cover my mouth with my hand to make it stop, but it was too late. I was laughing and crying at the same time, and Eric didn't know what to do with that, so he just continued to hold me.

When I pulled myself together, I wiped my eyes and turned to face him. "We don't need to go. I just needed a minute."

"So you know, I think she's crying too. She feels awful."

"I'm sure she does," I snorted. "Sorry. She didn't know."

"That's no excuse."

"No," I sighed. "The excuse is that she wants grandbabies, and she was afraid I was defective."

"You are not defective. And _that _is no excuse either."

I sat down on his bed, it was the only place in the room to sit, and exhaled. "It's not an excuse, but it's forgivable."

He stretched out on the bed and reached over to pull me down next to him. I contemplated leaving my back turned to him, because I knew he would snuggle behind me, but I needed to ask him something, and I needed to see his eyes, so I rolled over to face him.

"You're amazing."

"What?" I crinkled my eyebrows.

"You're so understanding and willing to forgive."

"Well, she's just being a mom, a neurotic one, but a mom."

He laughed and leaned over to kiss me, but I put a hand on his chest. "I need to ask you something."

He nodded, keeping his eyes on mine.

I bit my lip and hesitated. "I have to ask, because I spent ten years thinking I knew Bill's answer."

"Sookie," he started to interrupt, but I continued.

"Do you, I mean, if we stay together, would you want to have kids with me?" I didn't mean to start to cry, but I felt my eyes welling up again. I had no idea what I would do if he said no.

He groaned. "Sook. You're breaking my heart." He put his hands on either side of my face. "Yes. I want to have children with you. I'm in love with you."

"Okay. That's good." I nodded and smiled shyly, hoping he didn't think I was needy, or crazy.

He leaned forward again, and I let him kiss me that time, then I curled into his body. I tucked my head against his chest, and felt his large hands rubbing circles on my back.

There was a soft knock at the door, and Eric looked at me for approval before he called out for whoever it was to come in. As I expected, Elsa stood in the doorway.

"Sookie. I'd like to apologize. I should have never asked anything about your divorce or about having children. It's none of my business." She paused for a second and cleared her throat. "It's no excuse, but, I think that since my sister died, I've been worried that I won't see any of my boys get married or have kids. I've always been overly involved in wanting them to date, Jens calls it meddling. It's been worse since Brigetta died, I put more pressure on the boys about settling down and starting a family, and it just sort of spilled over onto you. I hope you can forgive me."

I glanced at Eric and he looked sad; he had probably never considered that her urgency in marrying him off had anything to do with her sister's passing. I squeezed his hand and climbed off the bed to walk over to where Elsa stood.

"I lost my parents when I was in college. I understand the feeling that you never know how much time you have." I looked back at Eric; he had sat up and was leaning on the headboard watching us. "I'll be with Eric for as long as he'll have me."

"Thank you for understanding. I'll behave." She smiled and gave me a quick hug. "Would you like to look at embarrassing pictures of Eric?"

I nodded my head and laughed. "I thought you'd never ask."

00oo00ooo00

**A/N: **  
Mom and dad Northman. I do love them so. Thanks so much for reading! You know I always like to know what you think, so...drop me a review. (You know you want to. C'mon. Everybody's doing it!)

Info for stuff in this chapter:  
Malibu Kitchen - google it for reviews. It sounds amazing, but their customer service must be awful.

Fireworks at the Hollywood Bowl  
http:/www(dot)latimes(dot)com/entertainment/news/la-et-fireworks-20100705,0,5535079(dot)story

Nordic House in Oakland, CA (They also have mail order)  
http:/www(dot)nordichouse(dot)com/


	22. Are You Afraid of a Girl?

**Title: Halo Effect  
Chapter 22: Are You Afraid of a Girl?  
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and and freakishly predict what famous actors will do.**

**A/N:**  
Awww. I'm so glad you all like Eric's parents. His mom's a little neurotic, but at least there's good reason. Anywho, anyone notice yet another freaky HE/real life coincidence last week? Yeah. I posted the chapter early because of computer problems, and where were Skars/Bos at that exact time? AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL. (Insert Twilightzone music here.) Freaky.

Big thanks to **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose** for doing the beta thang. I am a little sad because they've been able to hang out without me, but at least they tweeted at me while they were together. Love you WT's!

Thanks to everyone everyone who has been reviewing. I promise now that LOF is done I will be better about replying. I truly appreciate getting reviews. You make me laugh and smile with your comments and questions. Thanks so much.  
**00oo00oo00**

**EPOV**  
I snuck out of bed early, leaving Sookie sleeping, to go talk to Chris. I knew there was another reason he had spent the weekend with my parents and the only time we would get to talk alone was on a run. I tiptoed down the hall carrying my tennis shoes.

Chris looked up from the couch where he was tying his owns shoes and grinned.

"Hey. You coming with me?"

"Of course." I sat down on the recliner and quickly put on my shoes, and then we walked outside together to stretch.

We were quiet, our movements routine and unhurried. It had been a while, but we'd run together for years; it was our thing. We used to lift weights with Sven, but running was something that only Chris and I shared. We were ready at the same time and walked to the end of the driveway before we started jogging slowly. After a short warm up, we began running in earnest. We took our normal route, running side by side, and Chris still hadn't said anything when we made the turn for home.

"Alright. Spill."

"What?"

"You know what. You were guzzling margaritas yesterday like nobodies business. What's going on?"

He glanced at me. "I saw her again."

"Her?"

"Zaneta. I ran into her at the bar we met in before. She's single again."

"And so you bolted?"

"I had to come here for a meeting anyway."

"Why didn't you ask her to do something on the Fourth?"

"I don't know." He stopped running and looked at me. "What if I fuck it up? I mean, what if I'm not ready for a relationship?"

"You'll never know if you don't try. What happened with her and the ex?"

"Well, now he's an ex again. Apparently he didn't really stop screwing someone from work, he just stopped screwing one girl in particular."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. She did mention that she'll be at a charity thing I'm going to next weekend for the Humane Society."

"Then you should call and ask if she'd like to go with you, or figure out how to take her out for a drink afterwards. Don't let her slip away."

"Again." He sighed.

"I didn't say it, you did. You weren't ready before, maybe you are now."

He grinned. "She's pretty great."

"Then don't let her go." I paused and we both said, "Again." Then we both laughed as we started running the rest of the way home.

When we walked into the kitchen, Sookie was showered and dressed, drinking coffee and reading the paper with my parents. My mother had smoothed things over with her apology and explanation, and they'd spent some time looking at ridiculous pictures of me.

My mom didn't hold back, she pulled out everything from my baby book to high school yearbooks, and Sookie loved it. She sat with mom listening to every goofy story and exaggerated tale that she could come up with. Chris, Dad, and I interjected here and there, correcting mom when she got me mixed up with a brother, or remembering another detail. It was honestly fun, although the new pitcher of margaritas may have helped calm our nerves after the blow up at dinner.

I grabbed a piece of cold bacon off the table and smiled at Sookie. Mom told us in Swedish that we needed to hurry if we wanted to eat breakfast before we left for the airport.

"Yah. Yah," Chris responded, sounding like our grandfather. He stole a sip of dad's coffee before we headed down the hall.

I stepped into the bathroom that I'd shared with my brothers growing up and heard Chris groan behind me.

"Asshole."

"That's Mister Asshole. Asshole," I said, closing the door.

He was pissed because he would have to shower in the guest bathroom down the hall. There was nothing wrong with it, except it was decorated in every shade of pink my mother could find, and the men in our family had always hated it. The room made you feel like some of the pink would rub off on you, and you would come out with a little less testosterone than you had when you went in there.

Showered and shaved, I repacked my things into my overnight bag and looked around my room to make sure Sookie hadn't left anything behind. I didn't see anything that shouldn't have been there, so I headed to the kitchen to have pancakes and bacon before we needed to leave.

The ride to the airport was much louder than our ride to the house had been. Chris talked to Sookie about where he would take us if we visited him in Seattle, and Mom asked her what kind of things she liked to eat at Thanksgiving. It was a ways off, but I was glad that she was asking my girlfriend normal questions.

My parents dropped us off at the departures area at the airport and we said our goodbyes. We were able to meet back up with Chris near security. He and Sookie grabbed more coffee while I got a water, and we sat together for a little while before heading to our gates. Sookie and I walked hand in hand, getting a few looks, but mostly the airport was full of commuters who were too busy to care about what we were doing.

LAX was another story. We made it to the public concourse before the flashbulbs started going off en masse. I heard Sookie gasp and mutter, "Jeez that's bright." She was blinking, trying to adjust her eyes, but she continued walking, and she kept her chin up.

"Excuse us," I said repeatedly. I had one hand out in front of us keeping the crowd at bay, and the other arm was around her waist as I steered her towards the sliding door so we could go straight to the car. Thankfully we didn't have any checked bags.

"Have you talked to Sophie Anne?"

"Eric, look over here."

"Do you have to report to the set tomorrow for _Bloodlust_?"

"Did you take Sookie to meet your parents?"

We had discussed with Pam how we would announce Sookie's 'change of address', as Pam called it. The only person that Sookie felt she needed to tell personally was her brother, and she had taken care of that on the Fourth of July.

We were getting close to the exit doors when a photographer yelled the question I'd been waiting for.

"Sookie, how long will you be in California?"

She squeezed my hand, and I looked in the direction the question had come from. "She's here to stay."

It was like I'd kicked a hornets' nest, they were scrambling and shouting, cameras whirring and clicking, and more questions were shouted, while Sookie and I just kept moving towards the car.

"Is she living with you?"

"Sookie, what does Bill think?"

"Are you getting married?"

Within minutes we were alone in the car. I looked over at Sookie, and she was grinning from ear to ear. When our eyes met, she started to laugh.

"Did you see them? That was _not_ the answer they were expecting."

"I know!" My laughter joined hers. "Ready to head home?"

"Very."

I winked at her, and we pulled out of the parking structure. I was glad that she hadn't let the questions about Bill or engagement bother her, or maybe she hadn't heard them in the fuss, it was pretty loud after I made my comment.

We rode home, and I enjoyed the quiet. It never felt forced with Sookie, it was calming, like we knew we were where we were supposed to be, so we didn't need to talk about it.

When we were almost to the house, she thanked me again for taking her to meet my parents. "It was fun. Your family was-"

"Crazy," I interrupted with a laugh.

"A little, yeah, but they were nice." She sighed, and relaxed against the seat. "It's been a whirlwind since I got out here. I'm looking forward to doing nothing tomorrow."

"I'm looking forward to coming home to you after a long day on the set tomorrow."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I like that home is with you, it's not just a place anymore."

I smiled, no, I grinned. "Me too."

My first day back on set went smoothly. We had a read-through for the new episode, which Sophie Anne didn't appear in, so I had at least a week before I had to worry about filming with her.

The director, Bobby Burnham, mentioned to me that Pam had called to make sure he was aware of what was going on, and I had to laugh; how could he possibly _not _know? At any rate, he told me that Pam mentioned being hesitant about having Sophie Anne on set with me, and although he appreciated the buzz she was creating for the show, he could understand my unease. He promised that he would be having a long talk with her management team about her recklessness and his reservations about signing with her for the next season.

He shrugged at me, "Vampire queens can be staked or usurped. I need a monarch, but it sure as hell doesn't have to be her. "

I called Sookie on a break, and she told me that she had spent a relaxing morning sleeping in and then talking to someone from the Los Angeles Times about doing some restaurant reviews for them both online and in the print edition. Apparently, she had also talked to Daphne, who knew someone at the paper, and gave Sookie their number. The weekend editor was thrilled with the idea of Sookie's new perspective as a transplant to the area, and after looking over her blog, invited her in for a sit-down meeting later in the week.

She was thrilled because, as I had discovered, Sookie liked to be busy. In addition to her blog, this would keep her in touch with other journalists, and hopefully be a way for her to make friends in the area on her own, not that she would have a problem with that.

I spent the afternoon walking through some action scenes and running lines, eventually managing to get in a few takes before we wrapped for the day. I called Sookie to let her know I was on the way home. It was later than I had planned on, and I hoped that Sookie wasn't upset. She seemed fine on the phone, and we'd talked about how I didn't really know what time I would be home most nights, especially if we had to do any night scenes.

When I talked with Bobby, I told him that Sookie had moved in with me and that although I knew that I was pretty much at his beck and call, I would appreciate getting home for dinner occasionally. He had laughed, and slapped me on the back, saying he figured as much from talking to Pam. He wouldn't make any promises, but said he'd keep it in mind, and that was really all I could ask for.

When I walked into the house, I was overwhelmed by the smell of slow cooked food. A stew? No. A roast. My stomach growled and I felt even worse about being late. Sookie was in the family room, sitting on the couch, reading a book.

"Hey. Are you hungry?"

"I'm starving. I'm sorry I'm so late. I hope it's not cold or something. And you didn't have to wait for me."

She stood and stretched before walking over to me. "That's the nice thing about a slow cooker. I just turned it down to warm and it's fine." She shrugged. "I had a snack earlier. I think you're converting me to your Greek yogurt. That stuff is really good."

I put my keys in the basket and pulled her into my arms for a quick kiss. I watched her moving around the kitchen with ease as she got out dishes and silverware. She handed me a bottle of red wine to open, and then filled two plates with roast beef, carrots and potatoes. We took our seats at the table and joked with each other over dinner.

"So, I'm pretty sure all of this food wasn't here this morning. Did you have any problems finding the store?"

"Nope. Sheila gave me directions."

"Sheila?"

"The GPS on my phone. I call her Sheila."

"Why didn't I meet Shelia when we were in Michigan?" I teased.

"I was trying to impress you! I couldn't introduce you to my imaginary GPS friend yet."

"Oh, and now that you've moved in you can let it all hang out?"

"Yup. You better watch out, now that I've snagged you. I'm going to let myself go. You know; let my hair get all gross and put on a bunch of weight."

"That's too bad. I was going to pamper you."

"Ooh. Well, I would let you pamper me, if you really wanted to."

"I do. And besides, lover, Lafayette won't let you neglect your hair."

"This is very true."

We finished eating and cleaned up the kitchen, then watched television together. After an hour or so, I sighed, and told Sookie I was going to the office to read over my script for tomorrow. I changed into shorts and a t-shirt and was getting ready to sit down at the desk when she poked her head in the doorway.

"Come here." She had changed into pajamas as well, and motioned for me to follow her, which I did without question, because, well, I would have followed her just about anywhere. It was pretty disgusting how wrapped around her finger I was.

She led me to the bedroom, where she had the lamps on both sides of the bed turned on and her book opened up on top of the comforter.

"You read yours, and I'll read mine. Then, when I fall asleep reading you can turn my light off."

"You're pretty clever, you know that?"

"I do my best."

She stepped away from me, grinning, and climbed into bed to lean against the headboard. She knew I was considering scrapping the idea of looking at my script and doing other, much more exciting things in bed.

"Read, Northman."

I laughed, and sat down on my side of the bed to go over my lines. After a while, I'm not sure how much later, her book slipped forward, falling on her chest, and I saw that she was asleep. I set it on the nightstand, the way I had seen her leave books around the house so it was open to the page she was reading, turned off her light, and then she woke up long enough to lie down and snuggle against the pillow. I worked for a bit longer, and then got under the covers and rolled onto my side, putting an arm over her body, and fell asleep in minutes.

I made it four days without running into Sophie Anne at work. She wasn't even filming any scenes yet, but she showed up for costume fittings, and apparently to skulk around trying to see me. I heard through the grapevine that she was on set, but was surprised to see her sitting outside my trailer.

I tried to turn around before she saw me, but her face lit up, and I knew I was busted.

"Eric! I've been looking for you. How was your vacation?"

What the hell? Was she crazy? Wait, she probably was. I sighed and glanced around. One of Bobby's assistants was watching, and a couple actors with smaller parts were sitting outside of the trailer next to mine. Witnesses. Thank god.

"My vacation was great. My girlfriend and I had a wonderful time and she just moved in with me. How was your hiatus? Is there any alcohol left on the planet? Or did you drink it all?"

"What are you talking about? You don't have a girlfriend. Let's go inside. It's warm out here."

I was standing at the door to the trailer, and I realized that if I opened it, she was going to force herself in. Fuck. Pam was right. Maybe I didn't want to be on set at the same time as this crazy bitch.

"No, I'm going to get something to eat."

I turned and headed towards the Craft services tent. She followed behind me asking about my plans for later. I pulled out my phone and hit speed dial for Pam.

"Get this bitch away from me."

"Oh, Christ. She's there? I'm on my way."

By the time I disconnected the call, Sophie Anne had turned and was walking away. She was crazy, but she was totally aware of what she was doing. I shook my head and turned back towards my trailer. Alcide showed up about five minutes later.

"Is she gone?" he laughed. "Were you afraid of a little girl?"

"Fuck you. Yes. She's gone. She was all kinds of crazy hanging out here in front of my trailer telling me we needed to come in here to cool off."

"Ha ha. The old, is it hot out here, or is it just me, line, eh?"

I exhaled. "Alcide, not now. Where's Pam?"

"On her way. She's riding her broom to beat traffic."

"Funny, jackass."

I ran my hand through my hair. What was freaking me out was how weird Sophie Anne acted, like she truly didn't know about, or believe I was with, Sookie.

Grabbing my phone again, I dialed Sookie's number.

"Hey," I said when she answered. "What's going on?"

She ran down a list of things that she'd done, which all involved cleaning some portion of the house.

"Um. Sookie, did I forget to tell you that we have someone that cleans the house on Mondays? She was off for the holiday this week."

"Well, that explains why this place was way cleaner than I expected for a single man to have been living here. I guess you forgot to tell me about the pool boy too. He's cute."

"We don't have a pool boy."

"What?" I could hear the panic in her voice.

"Just kidding." I laughed, and it felt good. Talking to her made everything better.

"Oh, that was mean!" I heard a chair scrape on the patio and knew she'd gone to sit outside. "Did you just call to harass me?"

I sighed. "No. I called because Sophie Anne was here acting all crazy and I just needed to hear your voice."

"She's there? What was she doing?"

"It's nothing really," I said, trying to downplay it, there was no need to freak Sookie out. "She said she wanted to talk but she left when she heard me calling Pam on my cell."

"Is Pam on her way?"

"Yeah. We'll have to sit down with Bobby. Alcide is here now, giving me shit."

"That's good. He'll distract you."

The door flew open, and Pam walked in. She pulled her sun glasses down her nose and looked at me over the top of them. "What in God's name is going on here?"

Sookie heard Pam's grand entrance and told me to call her on the way home. I said goodbye and disconnected.

"Hello, Pam."

"Where is she?"

"She left."

"She was bothering you?"

"She wasn't bothering me. She was being weird and hanging around outside my trailer like a stalker."

She pursed her lips. "Did anyone see this," she waved her hand in distaste. "Stalking?"

"Yes." I glared at her. "Liam and Diane saw it, as well as Bobby's assistant, what's her name, Yvetta?"

"Stupid bitch. I called Bobby, and he said he would come by to talk. Are you done shooting for the day?"

"No, they told us to take a break so they could adjust some lights and fix one of the sound booms."

"Alright, do, whatever it is you do. I'm going to take a walk. I'll be back."

"Pam. There isn't anywhere to bury a body here."

She snorted. "Oh. Death would be too nice for her."

The door slammed behind her, and I realized Alcide was still sitting on my couch, texting on his phone.

"Cide. Don't you have something else to do?"

"What? Like run your errands? I thought that's what Sookie came to Cali for."

I closed my eyes. Seeing Sophie Anne waiting outside the trailer had triggered all sorts of alarm bells. It was freaky, like, boiling bunnies scary, and in the pit of my stomach I knew she was capable of just about anything.

"Could you please give me a minute?"

"Sure thing, diva. I have some things to go over with you later though."

"Fine. I'll be sure to talk to you before I leave."

I think I had all of three minutes to myself before the door banged open again, and Pam came in, bitching out Bobby, who was right on her heels.

"Eric is a much bigger name than she is, you had better be doing your best to make the set safe for him."

"Now who's being dramatic, Pam?" I raised a brow at her. "Listen, both of you. I can take care of myself, but I do not want to be stalked at work."

"Understandable, Eric. Let's sit down, and I'll give you a little insight to the season. I don't want to give away too much, though."

Ugh. Bobby and his secrets. We never knew what was going to happen in the next episode until we got the new script. It was cool that we didn't know how the season was going to play out, then we weren't responsible for accidentally giving away spoilers because we didn't know them, but it was a pain in the ass to read through a script and think, 'Oh shit, _that's_ what that was about two episodes ago? I should have totally played that differently.'

He sat down and explained that by the end of the season there would be a regime change and that a certain Queen would not be in the final four episodes. Pam asked about the following season, and he tried to be coy, but said he had been rethinking some of his plans and didn't really see a female monarch in the future of _Bloodlust_.

"Now, that said, which I will deny ever discussing with you, there is a four week window that Eric and Sophie Anne will both be involved in filming. I'll do what I can to adjust your schedules so you're here together as little as possible."

"And shared scenes?"

"They'll have to shoot them, Pam. I'm not magic."

"Bobby," I interrupted. "I appreciate all you're doing. Things will be fine."

"If this escalates, I will not be happy," Pam huffed.

"If this escalates, I'm going to fucking go off on her," I growled.

"Hey now. If it escalates, I'm done with her. We'll figure it out," Bobby added. "I'll talk with her manager, he doesn't want her to lose this part." He stood, and it was clear that the conversation was done as far as he was concerned. "Alright, I've still got a few more hours of work today. Northman, I'm sure you're due back out there. Pam, it was a pleasure, as always."

Pam snorted, and he let himself out. I looked at her, and she did not look happy.

"What? Did you want me to ask for a security guard? Don't be ridiculous. I'm not afraid of her."

She sighed. "I expected this to be over by now. She's mental. If there's another outburst, I will fuck her up in the press."

"I know you will, Pam. I'm counting on it."

We both stood and headed for the door. I was tired and just wanted to get finished for the day so I could go home to Sookie and relax. As I stepped off the stairs and into the back lot, she patted my ass like we were breaking a football huddle.

I gave her a scathing look over my shoulder.

"Later, loser!" she called as she walked away, swinging her hips like a runway model.

**00o00oo00oo00**  
**A/N:**  
*Waves at **BonTempsCutie**!* Sheila made a cameo appearance! LOL

Anyone think Sophie Anne is done with her craziness, or is it gonna get nasty? I already know, you get to wait til next week! Bwahahahaha - evil laugh. Thanks again for reading and reviewing, you guys are the bomb diggity!


	23. Bitten

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 23: Bitten**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and put them on planes for cross country travel.**

**A/N: **  
My internet at work might be FAIL tomorrow, so I'm just going to put this up now!

I tried to return as many reviews as I could last week...if I missed you, mwauh! Thanks!

Hugs and Kisses to my girls, **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose**. I love how excited you get when I send you a chapter. I hope you know I'm equally as excited when you send it back all marked up and sexy!

Um...so you all thought that Sophie Anne would continue to be crazy. I think you should read to find out! Ha ha!

00oo00oo00

**SPOV**  
I was a little worried after Eric's run in with Sophie Anne, but apparently the conversations that both Bobby and Pam had with her people must have gotten through to her. She didn't return to the set until the following week when her scenes began shooting, and Eric said she hadn't spoken another word to him, outside of on camera dialogue.

I was settling in, working on my blog, and since my meeting had gone quite well, I was working on some reviews for the Times. Daphne had invited me out for a late lunch and it fit perfect with my plans to relax for the afternoon. We spent the day getting to know each other even better, wandering down 3rd Street past bookstores, resale shops, galleries and boutiques. We stopped in a few stores, and I bought a great vintage dress and some very high black heels to go with it. By he time we finished our salads at Joan's on Third, I felt like I had known her for years.

The sets that Eric and Sam were filming on were next door to each other, and Daphne suggested that we stop by to see them. Eric had told me that they were working on indoor shots for the next few days, so he would be done at eight or nine o'clock. He already told me that he wanted me to visit the set, so I was sure he wouldn't mind.

I called his cell phone and got his voice mail. "Hey, I'm out with Daph and we're coming by the set. I was thinking I'd stick around and ride home with you. If you're too busy, though, call me back and we won't bother you."

We were parking the car when he called. "Sookie, are you here?"

"I am. We were going to stop by to see Sam first since I hadn't heard back from you. Is it cool if we come by?"

"It's more than cool, lover. Pam is here as well, so you can meet her."

"Oh, you know how much I've been looking forward to that," I teased.

I'd told him when I got to California that I thought Pam was a little scary, and after he finished laughing, he told me that Pam was going to love me.

I heard Eric talking to someone else in the background, then he told me he had to go, but Daphne knew where his trailer was and to come over whenever.

We went to visit Sam, who worked on a sitcom called _Gone to the Dogs_. He played a Veterinarian and single dad, who related better to the animals at his practice than his teenage children. He was going over lines with one of the actors that played his son when we found him.

His eyes lit up when he saw Daph. I hoped that Eric and I would continue to be as happy as they were together. His co-star waved, and headed off to talk with someone else.

"Ladies! What brings you here?"

"Hey baby!" Daph called. "We came to see our favorite men since you work next door to each other."

"That's sweet. Eric will be glad to see you, Sook. He's still a little worried that you're going to pull a Daphne and freak out."

"Hey," she slapped his arm. "I didn't freak out, I went home to stay with my momma."

"You snuck out of bed, took a red-eye flight, and the only thing you took with you was your purse. What do you call that?"

"Okay, I freaked a little."

I laughed at them. "I'm actually doing okay. I think it will get a little crazy around the season premier and award shows, but I'm hoping Daph will help keep me sane."

"I'm planning on in it, Sookie. Everything will be fine."

We talked a little more, and Sam introduced me to a few people as they stopped by to say hello to Daphne. Sam threw a few things into his messenger bag and walked over to the _Bloodlust _set with us.

I saw Eric in the distance, talking to a woman in a pink and gray suit. She had gorgeous long hair and legs to die for. From the descriptions I had heard, I recognized her as Pam.

He glanced over and waved, seeing the three of us walking towards them. Pam turned towards us wearing dark sunglasses and a tight smile.

Eric said something to Pam and then stepped towards us, his long legs quickly closing the distance, and he pulled me into his arms like it had been ages since we had seen each other instead of hours.

"Hi. So this is your work? It looks like a parking lot," I teased.

"You're funny." Pam joined us and Eric made introductions.

I reached for her hand and I saw her eyebrow go up behind her sunglasses. I laughed to myself, wondering which one of them got the other started with the damn eyebrow raising. She had a firm handshake, and I think mine surprised her.

"Sookie. You are even more Midwestern in person."

What the hell did that mean? "Thank you, I think. You seem like a complete bitch in person as well as on the phone."

I saw the corner of her mouth begin to lift in a smile before she forced it back down.

"You'll do just fine," she said quietly. She turned to Eric. "I love that your little fan club is here, but you're needed back on set. Yvetta is signaling for you."

"Ah, yes. Excuse me. We're trying to get this last piece down, but Liam can't get through his lines. You can head to my trailer, or feel free to come watch."

"I'd love to watch, if you don't mind." I glanced at our friends; Sam shrugged and Daph nodded.

Eric took my hand, and led us to the edge of the set that was a mock up of the bar his character owned. He took his place, and we watched the scene unfold. Liam struggled with his lines, and it was fully understandable. They had given him a tongue twister for dialogue.

"Markus, I'm aware that you made your way here from Montana to marry Mariah and make a run at the monarchy. My fealty is yours."

There were way too many "M's" in there for me, but I was excited, because Markus was the vampire King of Montana, and Mariah was a powerful Louisiana vampire. The two of them united could overpower Sophie Anne's character, Evan, and change the political climate for vampires in all of the south. It was a brilliant move really, and Liam was groveling to establish his un-dead place somewhere in the ranks when the dust settled.

Though he was one of the Queen's top advisors, Eric's character, Lief, had been instrumental in helping Markus gain Mariah's trust. Markus assured him that he would continue as a Sheriff and have a place at his side when he took over as King of Louisiana.

Liam got it on the third take, and everyone was relieved. The sound guy next to Sam told him that they had tried it ten times earlier, and everyone was so frustrated they had to take a break.

The actors were still standing together, chatting and slapping Liam on the back. This was his first recurring role, and he was working hard at earning a good reputation. From what we heard around us, it had just been a very bad day for him.

Eric took a few steps towards us and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of red rushing at him. I gasped, as he was tackled unexpectedly and knocked back to sit on the desk he had been standing in front of.

"Holy Shit!" Sam and Daph said at the same time.

"Oh sweet mother of all that's holy," I said under my breath, as the red blur materialized into Sophie Anne.

She was flailing and squawking around Eric like a wounded bird. "Who is she? Why is she here? Tell her to leave! Eric, you're mine!"

Eric was trying to restrain her, holding her at the elbows, but she was kicking at his shins and swinging her arms around as much as she could. "Stop! Get a hold of yourself. What the fuck are you doing?"

Then it was like slow motion. I saw her move and knew exactly what she was going to do. I shouted and wanted to run over to Eric, but Sam held me back.

Sophie Anne's mouth opened, revealing her outrageously large fake fangs, and she was lunging at Eric's neck, screaming over and over, "You're mine!"

Eric reacted quickly and turned in time to shove his arm into her mouth, the way they tell you to do if a dog is biting you, and she gagged around his forearm. When he pulled his bloody arm free, she was panting as if she'd run a marathon and one of her fangs had broken off, remaining stuck in Eric's arm.

It was oddly quiet when the little piece of ceramic, or whatever the tooth was made of, fell to the floor making a tinkling sound. Eric seemed to snap out of the shock of her attack, and whipped Sophie Anne around, clasping her wrists behind her back. His chest was rumbling, it was frightening and sexy all a the same time, and I cursed myself for even thinking about sex in the midst of this drama.

A security guard took Sophie Anne from Eric's grasp and Sam finally released me. I ran to Eric and saw Pam holding her cell phone towards Sophie Anne as she was being led away. I wondered how many pictures she'd been able to get. Someone had given Eric a towel, and he was holding it to his arm.

"Oh my god. Eric, are you alright?"

He pulled me to his chest with his good arm. "I'm okay. I'm just glad she came after me and not you."

Pam came over and peeled the towel back to look at Eric's arm. "Jesus fucking Britney Spears! Unreal."

"Did you get good pictures?"

She looked at me, surprised that I'd seen what she'd done, and then she winked at me. "You bet your ass I did."

**EPOV**  
Sookie and I finally made it home after a round of tetanus shots in the Emergency Room. I argued, but the medic on set said that bites were nasty and that you always wanted to err on the side of caution with them. Sookie was nodding her head behind him in full agreement, so I went. My arm was lightly bandaged, but there was no concern about it not healing or scarring, it was just a little tender.

I was dead on my feet when Bobby's car dropped us off at home. Alcide had arranged to have my car brought over, and I didn't even have the energy to see if it was in the garage. What I wanted to do, was curl up in bed behind Sookie and fall asleep listening to the sound of her breathing and sighing.

We changed and got ready for bed, and I was under the covers before Sookie finished washing her face. When she came into the bedroom, she turned off her lamp and climbed in beside me. Before I knew it, she had crawled on top of me, her chest against mine, and her legs straddling my waist.

"Sookie?"

She sniffled, and I felt wetness on my chest.

My hands moved from her back up into her hair and I gently turned her head so that I could see her face. I massaged her scalp. "What's going on in there?"

"I'm sorry. Tonight was just a little crazy."

"Crazy doesn't usually make you cry."

She chuckled and sat up, wiping her face. "Yeah, but crazy doesn't usually end up with a Vampire Queen trying to bite my boyfriend."

"This is true."

"Are you okay? Really?"

"I'm fine, Sook. You were there when the doctor checked it out. They're a couple of glorified scratches."

"From giant fangs."

"You're really hung up on that," I teased.

She exhaled loudly. "I really hate that I'm about to say this, but I'm kind of worried about you being on set with her."

"Because I might kill her?"

She slapped my chest. "No, if you were going to do that you would have done it tonight. You were pretty amazing, by the way, trying to hold her arms instead of clocking her. I was ready to throw down with her, but Sam held me back."

I put my hand on her cheek. "I would normally say that a chick fight was hot, but not tonight."

"Anyway, I just think she's not really over this, whatever she thinks it is."

"Let's sleep on it. Pam left me a voice mail that there were some things going down with Sophie Anne while we were in the E.R. I have a feeling you might not need to worry. If that's not the case, we'll talk more, okay?"

She nodded and leaned forward, whispering against my lips, "I was scared today."

"I know. I'm so sorry." I whispered back. "I love you."

Her lips covered mine and everything bad about the day washed away. All that mattered was Sookie, there with me, and our bodies pulled tightly against each other.

When she pulled back from the kiss, she held my eyes and began to move down my body until she was kneeling between my thighs.

"Sookie." My voice was hoarse and my already hard cock was twitching like it knew what she was about to do.

Without a word, she leaned forward and kissed my stomach as she slid my boxers over my erection and down my legs. Her kisses drifted down my pelvis, her lips lightly touching my hips and inner thigh, before I felt her hand wrap around me. She stroked me gently before I finally felt her take me into her mouth. She gave amazing blow jobs. I let her go at her own pace as long as I could, then when I couldn't take it, my hands wrapped in her hair and she made a little humming noise as I took control.

She knew I was getting close and took me in further, actually into her throat. As if that wasn't enough, I saw her hand slide down inside her panties and between her legs.

"Oh, god that's hot," I heard myself say. She moaned and her mouth moved faster; pushing me to the edge. Then I felt her teeth scrape my length, and I couldn't stop the orgasm that ripped through me.

When I could breathe again, I reached down, pulling her up my body and into my arms for a kiss. I didn't care that she tasted of me, I was about to go down on her and then I would taste like her. I rolled us over and reached for her breast only to realize she still was still dressed.

"Your clothes need to come off. Now."

She nodded, biting her lower lip, and she was lucky I didn't tear the shirt off of her. I sat up and quickly pulled it over her head, then paused to pay homage to her breasts before continuing down her body. She slid her underwear off, sighing as I ran my hands up her thighs.

I knew she was already wet, and just thinking about the way she touched herself while she had her mouth on me made me growl. I settled between her legs, my eyes zeroing in on the tiny triangle of hair at the apex of her thighs. I lowered my mouth to her and coherent thought was lost. I was surrounded by Sookie in the greatest sensory overload I could imagine. I brought her to release twice and would have tried for a third, but she was yanking on my hair to the point that I realized it wasn't just playful tugging anymore. My head cleared as she pulled me up to her mouth, and she kissed me hard, nipping at my lower lip.

"Eric," she said between kisses. "I need you. Now."

I nodded my head because I couldn't speak for wanting her, and lined my body up with hers, entering her slowly. I let out a breath of contentment when I was all the way in. She started rocking her hips against me, and we were both more than ready. I began stroking in and out of her, and our bodies pounded against each other hard and fast. We'd had some seriously hot sex before, but this was a whole different level. I heard her gasps matching my grunts as I filled her, over and over.

It didn't take long before her back arched and her body shook, as her inner muscles tightened around me. After a few more thrusts, I was emptying myself inside Sookie with a loud groan.

"Holy crap, Eric. Where did that come from?" she said after a minute. She was draped across my chest, and my laughter shook her body.

"I'm not sure, but I'm all about trying to do it again sometime." I kissed the top of her head, breathing in her scent. I didn't know if it was her shampoo or conditioner, shit maybe it was some other product she put in there, but her hair smelled amazing. Just the smell of it could relax me when I was tense. "But I need a nap first. And maybe a snack."

She laughed. "Me too. I love you, Northman."

"Mmm. I love you too, Stackhouse," I managed to say before I fell asleep.

At some point I woke up and went to the kitchen for some Gatorade and a bite to eat. I looked out over the night sky and tried to put my head around the earlier events. Fuck. I couldn't believe Sophie Anne had jumped me like that, and I was afraid that in the harsh light of morning, Sookie would tell me that it was all too much for her.

I headed back to the bedroom and pulled on the boxers that I found on the floor by the bed. I climbed under the covers next to Sookie, and she rolled over, then practically climbed on top of me. Her head rested on the middle of my chest, and I smoothed a hand over her hair, falling back to sleep with my arm tight around her.

When I woke again, the sun was up, and I was alone in the bed. I smelled coffee and heard Sookie talking on the phone. I stretched, thankful that Bobby had told me to take the day to rest after Sophie Anne's attack. I was still in bed when I heard Sookie raise her voice.

"Exhaustion? Are you kidding me? That's bullshit!"

Oh, that couldn't be good. I got out of bed and walked quietly to the kitchen. Her back was to me, and she was still bitching, albeit more quietly, on the phone.

"I'm sorry, but that's enough. She does not get to slink away like a coward after yesterday, Pam. She attacked him."

Oh, yeah. This was bad. I could only imagine what Pam was saying to her.

She exhaled. "Okay. Yes. I know it's your job. I'm sorry." She paused, listening for a moment and then threw her head back laughing. "Yes, I trust you. I have no idea why." She paused again, and I stepped forward to put a hand on her waist. "Oh, hey. He's up now. Do you want to talk to him?"

She turned her head and kissed me, not caring that Pam was waiting on the line. "It's Pam. She tried my phone after you didn't answer yours."

I nodded. "Everything okay?"

She wrinkled her nose. "I'll let Pam tell you."

My hand drifted down to squeeze hers as she moved to refill her coffee.

"Northman," I said into the phone.

"Morning, loverboy." I rolled my eyes even though she couldn't see me. "So. Your girl got a little worked up this morning. I like it. It's kind of hot."

"Pam. Enough. What's going on?"

"Sophie Anne was admitted to the hospital last night for _exhaustion_."

"Exhaustion? Are you kidding me?" I stopped talking when I realized I had raised my voice and was repeating what Sookie had said, exactly. I took a deep breath and walked across the room to look out at the ocean. "What is your plan?"

"Well. I took some great photos yesterday that have somehow been leaked to the tabloids, along with a rundown of the events; how she launched herself at you and you nobly tried to hold her back while your loving girlfriend looked on in horror. It will be epic. I can see the headline, 'Bitten by Exhaustion.'"

"Great. What's really going on with her?"

"According to an orderly at the hospital, she was chock full of a shit load of alcohol and about five different drugs when she came in, some legal, some not."

"Shit."

"Don't feel bad for her. She has tried to fuck you over and I can guarantee she will not feel an ounce of remorse. Besides which, she got what she wanted. Blackhart showed up at her hospital room, and I will not let that become a twisted romantic headline that trumps the fact that she tried to fanbang you."

"I believe fangbang means something else."

"Oh, I know what it means."

I sighed. "Alright, so when should we expect your photos to show up on the wire?"

"I emailed them when I got home at four in the morning, so it's just a matter of time."

Sookie and I had gotten home sometime around midnight. I didn't want to imagine where Pam had been for four hours, some things were better left unknown.

"Text me when it posts."

"As you wish."

Yeah. I really didn't want to know where she'd been. When Pam started quoting _Princess Bride _it usually meant she had a new girlfriend.

I ended the call and turned to find Sookie, but she had moved onto the patio to drink her coffee. I filled my own mug and went to join her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." Her smile looked almost sad. "I got a little pissed that Sophie Anne's people are trying to make her seem sympathetic, but Pam told me she was going to fuck her up." I raised an eyebrow. "Her words," she laughed. "I felt kind of bad about that too for all of about two seconds, and then I realized that Pam would only be telling the truth." She shrugged and stretched her legs out, putting her feet in my lap.

"You need to go back to Michigan and recharge after that?"

She laughed and poked me in the ribs with her toes. "No. I'm tougher than you think, Northman."

I grabbed her foot and started to rub her arch. "Good to know."

"Let me see your arm," she said, setting her mug down and sitting forward to reach for my injured arm. I had taken the gauze off when I got up in the middle of the night.

I held it out to her, and it looked, well, like I'd been bitten by something, but it looked good, like it was healing.

"It looks good," she said, as if she'd read my mind.

I smiled at her and intended to go back to rubbing her foot, but she stood, and very quickly shucked off her clothes before diving into the pool. I sat there, feeling a little stunned, and watched her swim to the far side and turn to face me. She rested her arms on the edge of the pool behind her, pushing her breasts up and out of the water, pointing directly at me.

"You coming in? Or are you just going to sit up there thinking about what you could do to me in here?"

God help me, I loved her. I got up and peeled my boxers off, turning to give her a view of my ass as I pulled them off my legs, and dove in to join her.

00oo00oo00oo00  
**A/N:**  
Oh. My. What now? How will Sophie Anne's people continue to spin things? What could be next for our love birds? Guesses? Suggestions? Drop me a line!

Thanks again for readin' and reviewin'!


	24. Distant Bells

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 24: Distant Bells **

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and put them on planes for cross country travel.**

**A/N: **

THANK YOU! (Shouty Caps) To everyone who reviewed the last chapter. You had me cracking up! I loved them, and then time got away from me, it's weird how that happens. Anyway - I can't thank you all enough for your comments and love for this story. You all are the best.

Thanks to the beta besties as well. **A Redhead Thing **has been working her tail off for me on HE and a couple of other projects. She puts up with my insanity very well. (Mason Dixon Line - nods head - got it.) **Sapfirerose** has been bloggin' and tumblin' up a storm. Her kind words always make my day. HUGS Thanks girls!

Here you go - the aftermath of the attack:

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

**SPOV**

Pam's pictures had the desired effect, and people were not looking kindly on Sophie Anne. Yes, they felt bad that she had managed to get addicted to drugs, but her antics with Eric were fodder for the late night shows and tabloids. I was particularly fond of Letterman's Top Ten List. It was the Top Ten Things Overheard on the _Bloodlust _Set. Number One was, "This show really does bite."

Eric went back to work, and our lives took on an easy rhythm. It was unexpected to me in this world of glamour and drama, but it was certainly welcome. We spent most of our days doing our own thing, working, or running errands. We reconnected each evening, absorbing ourselves in each other.

We'd been mobbed by photographers for the first week following Sophie Anne's attack. It didn't matter where we were going; work, the grocery store, dinner, Sam and Daph's house, they followed us. Between Pam, Eric, and Alcide, I was given a crash course in dealing with the paparazzi on my own, since I had to face them without Eric almost daily.

Pam had explained that they would try to say shocking things to get me to react. They would use everything from comments to facial expressions in their magazines and websites. They would post any photos they got, but reactionary shots were the most sought after. We sat by the pool one evening, with Pam and Alcide hurling ridiculous questions at me about my life, my move to California, Sophie Anne, and my relationship with Eric.

It was fun, but the things they said seemed so off the wall that I couldn't believe anyone would actually say them to me. I fully understood that it had been necessary when someone yelled at me as I walked into the grocery store, "Did you and Eric have a threesome with Sophie Anne?"

Sophie Anne spent two days in the hospital before being released. Her mother was there to pick her up, and it made for tabloid news. Blackhart came forward claiming that they had never actually broken up and that it was all a misunderstanding. He was fresh out of rehab, and encouraged Sophie Anne to enter a detox program, while her 'people' were strangely quiet.

Pam figured they were probably pushing her towards rehab since it would make her obsession with Eric seem like the delusional ramblings of a drug addict. The hold up seemed to be with Sophie Anne herself, who, as most people who were in the same situation, believed that she didn't have a problem and could quit any time she wanted.

Four days after attacking Eric, she was photographed buying alcohol at Trader Joe's at ten in the morning and then again with more alcohol that evening at the Villa Lounge, stumbling and spilling cocktails on everyone around her.

The paparazzi frenzy took place two days later, as her mother, Blackhart, and her manager delivered Sophie Anne to Choices Malibu. It was a media circus, blocking traffic and clogging Twitter. Sam and Daph happened to be over for dinner when, unbeknown to us, the drama began to unfold. Daph and I were loading the dishwasher when Pam barged in the house and turned on the television. She grabbed a glass and poured herself some scotch, began mixing a gin and tonic, and then finally realized we were all looking at her like she was insane.

"What? The bitch is going to rehab." She handed me the gin and tonic and took a seat on the couch. "This is going to be good. I thought I would share the joy."

Eric got Daph a rum and coke and then grabbed beers for himself and Sam as everyone settled in front of the TV. I didn't understand what Pam was so excited about, but she clinked our glasses with a wicked grin, and her enthusiasm was kind of contagious.

We watched _E!,_ sipping drinks and waiting for the coverage about Sophie Anne to begin. I felt kind of weird, watching video of Eric's co-star going to rehab, but everyone just seemed to go with it. Sophie Anne's manager, Diane, stepped up to the mic, and Pam shushed everyone.

"Sophie Anne has decided that her attempts at sobriety would be more effective with the assistance of the professionals here at Choices."

Pam snorted and I thought, _more_ effective? She needed help if she wanted it to be effective at all.

Diane continued, "She will remain here for twenty-eight days of inpatient therapy and rejuvenation before returning to the set of _Bloodlust. _She would like to thank her fans for their ongoing support but asks everyone to respect her privacy right now."

She began to step away from the microphone, and I thought how ridiculous it was that it was Sophie Anne's fame-whore ways that got us into this mess to begin with, and now she wanted privacy. I was actually a little pissed. How dare she?

On screen, the paparazzi began shouting questions, and Pam started bouncing her knee in excitement.

"Wait for it," she said under her breath.

The questions were fast and furious, and you could tell that Diane hadn't actually been planning to answer anything.

"What was Sophie Anne addicted to?" "

"Did Sophie Anne fake her prescriptions?"

"Is there a restraining order preventing Sophie Anne from returning to the _Bloodlust _set without a psychiatric evaluation?"

"Did Bobby Burham write Sophie Anne's character out of the next season of _Bloodlust_?"

"Is it true that Sophie Anne is only here because Blackhart threatened to leave if she didn't get treatment?"

"Do you have any comments about the sex tape involving Sophie Anne and the Olsen's that is rumored to exist?"

Diane's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish and I'm pretty sure my lips were doing the same thing. Pam was amazing. I didn't know how many of those things were true, but I knew the information had come from Pam.

The paparazzi around Eric and I got even worse for a few days, as they tried to get us to comment on Sophie Anne's stay at Choices or any of the other gossip. Pam had informed us that there really were rumors of a sex tape, and that she and Eric had a meeting scheduled with Bobby to talk about the future of _Bloodlust,_ but as far as she knew, he didn't get to kill Sophie Anne.

The rumor about Blackhart giving her an ultimatum hadn't been confirmed, but I didn't really care about that. I was surprised by news the following morning that a team of detectives wanted to interview Sophie Anne regarding prescription fraud. Sophie Anne probably never expected that to happen, she had an attitude that seemed to assume that her celebrity put her above the law.

My fear however, regardless of rehab, was that her feelings for Eric weren't delusional. I mean, weren't delusions usually based on your deepest feelings? Eric continued to tell me that it didn't matter, that she wouldn't be getting anywhere near him again. I hoped he was right.

My first restaurant reviews in the Times had gotten a good response,and they asked me to consider writing about other new things I was discovering in L.A., like salons, shops, or clubs. I snorted at that, I hadn't been to a club since gong to Coral Gables with Eric, but according to Daph it was only a matter of time.

Production of _Bloodlust _went on without Sophie Anne. Eric did some publicity photo shoots with the cast, and we began to get invitations to parties; the wrap party, the premiere party, and several after-parties.

I had been keeping an eye out for a dress to wear for the premiere, but hadn't found anything yet, that screamed, "Wear me!" About three weeks before the big night, I called Daphne to see if she knew of any shops I should go to, and she offered to take me shopping.

She showed me some of her favorite stores, and we found some cute dresses, but nothing that was really me. She bought a great dress for herself at the first place we went in to and I was completely jealous. We looked at boutiques and a couple of vintage shops, and I still didn't find anything. She decided that we should go to one more vintage store that she said sometimes had great finds.

We drove over to West Hollywood, and she took me into Seilan's Vintage Apparel. We passed Paris Hilton coming out as we went into the store. It scared me a little, because Paris and I were neither built the same, nor had the same taste in fashion, but I forged on. The store was really cute and smelled clean, which was huge.

We flipped through the racks of dresses, ooing and aahing at beautiful Chanel, Dior, and Halston pieces, just to name a few. My eye was drawn to a beautiful vintage wedding dress on a mannequin, but I didn't let myself think about it for too long. I knew that I needed to figure out how I felt about getting married again, and I wondered what it meant that I had actually had to convince myself that I didn't need to try it on.

Before I met Eric, it had seemed ridiculously unlikely, but with Eric, it was beginning to seem like a foregone conclusion. We had talked about wanting kids, and at his parents house, we established that we would be interested in having them together. In the Sookieverse, that meant we would be married, but I hadn't thought about how we would get to that point. It was like my mind thought we would just jump over that hurdle and magically be married when we decided to have kids.

I sighed and managed to clear my head so I could refocus and find something to wear for the premiere. Daphne had figured out already that my favorite colors were red, pink, and black and she did a great job helping me search. We found dresses that we liked and put them aside, eventually acquiring quite a stack ,and I headed for the fitting room to see if any of them worked.

I tried on almost everything we had gathered and was once again getting frustrated. I stepped out of the fitting room to look in the three-way mirror one more time, thinking that the pink dress that I had on _might _work if I couldn't find anything else.

Then I saw something across the room in the mirror and turned around, almost pulled towards the dress. Hanging behind the counter was a white dress covered in roses. I walked closer, and could make out even more of the design. It had a scooped neckline and an interesting, draped bodice with princess seams and a fitted skirt that fell below the knee. It was love at first sight, and I was afraid the sales girl would tell me that it was sold.

"No," she laughed. "We just got it in. I still need to steam it."

"There's no need. I'll take it. I mean, I'll try it on."

Daph came over, "Sookie, it's so cute! Do you think it will fit?"

I hadn't dared to look at the tag, but it looked to be the right size, or damned close. The sales girl shrugged and held the hanger out for me. I bit my lip and carried it back to the dressing room. It was me. This dress finally called out, "Wear me!" and all of those other clichés.

I stepped into the bodice then slid the straps up my arms, and knew without looking that it was perfect. I had shoes that would look great with it. They were tall and red; Eric called them fuck me heels. I zipped the back and stepped out of the little room to show Daph.

She clapped her hands excitedly. "Sookie! You have to get it. Oh my god, it's per-fect."

**EPOV**

Shortly after I returned to work, Bobby sat down with Pam and I. He had rewritten the final two episodes, officially removing Sophie Anne from the next season. After the rewrites, he hoped that the remaining scenes with Sophie Anne could be shot in one day, with a limited number of people on set. He thought it was entirely possible, that the one remaining scene we were in together could be shot separately, so that I didn't have to even see her on the set.

Pam was pleased, but not entirely happy, but that was nothing new. She didn't want Sophie Anne anywhere near me and was really pushing for the psychiatric evaluation. I was just glad to hear that she wouldn't be back next season, so Sookie and I could put her drama behind us.

I thanked Bobby and apologized for what Sophie Anne had done, which earned me a dirty look from Pam.

After a moment, I just came out and told Bobby what I had been thinking. "Listen, I've been around long enough to know that you didn't have to do any of this for me. That you could have said, suck it up and do your scenes with the bitch. So, thank you." I turned to Pam, because she always needed an ego stroke as well. "And thank you, too, for everything you've done. I know it's your job, but it's my life. So, thanks."

She seemed to understand then, and nodded at me, before she was off again, bitching at Bobby about the size and location of my trailer for the following season. I stifled a grin; she was such a ball buster.

Time was flying by, and Sookie and I were still doing great. She'd been making little changes around the house, and it made me happy because it meant she was really feeling at home. Suddenly the season was almost entirely filmed, and I was looking forward to taking Sookie to the premiere and the parties that surrounded it. It was only a taste of what the awards season would be like, and we had yet to talk about how she wanted to deal with all of that drama. I would love to have her at my side at all of those events, but honestly, if I didn't have to go to them, I wouldn't. It was so much nicer to watch them on television wearing gym shorts and drinking beer, or shit, not watching at all and checking the internet for the results later. The parties were the fun part, but they were also tiring and full of soap opera style theatrics by any number of celebrities.

Sookie had been doing amazingly well in terms of the paparazzi. We'd given her a crash course, testing her with questions and crazy statements, but even I wasn't prepared for some of the outrageous nonsense they came up with in the first weeks after Sophie Anne's attack. I was surprised when things got worse after Sophie Anne went into rehab, but every tabloid wanted our reaction to her addiction, sex tape, prescription fraud, and demise on _Bloodlust_.

I came home one night to find Sookie gorging on ice cream; we didn't have tiramisu since she was still searching for a substitute for Rose Angelis in California.

"Hi," I said as I sat down on the couch and took her foot into my hands for a massage.

"Hey," she mumbled around the spoon.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing," she said with her mouth full.

"Sookie."

She kept her eyes on me, but continued eating her ice cream. Her pout was unbelievably sexy, but she was _so_ not in the mood. I reached for the small container she held, and you would have thought I was getting between a mother bear and her cub. She glared at me and held the ice cream out of my grasp.

"Fine. I'll tell you," she huffed. "Today, while I was shopping," she paused for a bite of ice cream, "Some photographer asked me if I was jealous that you have sex scenes with Keira Knightley in your new movie."

"And clearly, you're not," I said sarcastically, as she shoveled more ice cream into her mouth. I was obviously going to need to remind her that she didn't need to worry. "Because there's nothing to be jealous of. You should come watch us film those scenes. It's really very impersonal. There are like twenty people standing around watching and adjusting the lighting."

She smiled weakly and I sighed. Giving up, I risked life and limb, and took the ice cream from her hand, setting it on the coffee table.

"Sookie, you have nothing to be jealous of."

I pushed her back on the couch, wedging my legs between hers and propping myself up on my elbows over her chest. This way, she had to look at me. I leaned forward, running my nose along her collarbone and up her neck.

"Sookie, you're everything to me. I go to work and all I can think about is coming home to you, or what you're doing without me. I've never been this happy in my life, and it's because of you. Really. You have," I paused to kiss below her ear. "Nothing," I kissed her mouth, "to worry about."

She looked into my eyes. "I know that in my heart, but sometimes I don't believe it in my head."

"I'm not Bill."

"I know that," she sighed, frustrated. "But I never thought that he would cheat on me either, and we were married."

"I'll marry you now. Let's go to Vegas. Tonight. If that's what it will take to make you understand how much I love you, let's do it."

She laughed, and I felt amazingly better just hearing that sound, and then I realized what I said. I practically held my breath waiting for her reaction.

"No, baby, we don't need to go to Vegas." She kissed me. "I know you're not Bill, and I know that you love me. Realistically, I know that nothing will happen on set or anywhere else, but there's this insecure part of me, this corner of my heart, that is terrified that it will happen again."

"What do I have to do to take over that corner of your heart?"

"For starters? Give me back my ice cream."

"How about I put it in the freezer for now, and after an orgasm or two, I'll feed it to you in bed."

"I knew there was a reason I loved you," she giggled. "You're so thoughtful."

Much later, I put the empty ice cream container on the night stand and stretched out behind her, pulling the covers over us.

"Eric?"

"Yeah."

"I love you."

I kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too, Sookie."

A few weeks before the premiere, we made plans to meet Lafayette for dinner because Sookie was feeling a little homesick. Although, I was not entirely sure how sushi with a flamboyant drag queen reminded her of Michigan. We were getting ready, and when I reached for a shirt in the closet, I saw a garment bag that hadn't been there before. When I asked about it, Sookie blushed, and told me that she didn't want me to see it yet.

I shook my head at her and finished pulling my shirt on, feeling oddly like she was hiding a wedding dress from me, because that was the kind of thing that women hid in closets. And then I froze. For the second time in weeks, I was thinking about Sookie and I getting married, and it didn't scare me at all. Part of me actually wished that what she had hiding in the closet really was a wedding dress, even though I knew it wasn't.

She laughed, and I realized I must have had a strange look on my face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said, trying to shake off my thoughts. I wasn't sure how she felt about getting married again, but I wanted the future Northman children to have married parents. I hoped that we were on the same page, or I was going to have to do some serious convincing.

00oo0oo00oo00oo00oo

**A/N:**

The HE version of "The Sookie Dress" http:/www(dot)memphisvintage(dot)com/ccred(dot)html  
Thanks to seastarr08 for stumbling up on it when I showed her other things on the site!

OH MY! They're on the same page but they don't know it!

Next up, sushi dinner and the big premiere! Is Sookie ready for Hollyweird?


	25. Slippery When Wet

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 25: Slippery When Wet**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and put them on planes for cross country travel.**

**A/N:**

Well, I originally planned to get through the premiere with this chapter, but some of the characters didn't quite cooperate. They're at least headed to the event at the end of this chapter. Ha ha ha!

Anyway - merci, gracias, and dankë to** A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose **for taking the time to beta and send me comments before I post. They make me think, and usually make me laugh out loud. Thanks ladies, for being you and doing what you do.

Big hugs to my friend **TVgirl** this week. Oh, Nic, Eric wants to know when you want to meet at your MIL's to, ah, swim.

00oo00oo00oo00

**EPOV**

Sookie and I walked into Nobu in Malibu and were seated most graciously, and almost immediately. We looked over the menu while we waited for Lafayette, or Martini; I wasn't quite sure who was coming to join us.

Sookie had spent most of the ride over talking about Chef Matsuhisa and how there were either Nobu or Matsuhisa restaurants in almost every major city in the world, except Chicago. She carried on about a sushi place she loved in Chicago called Oysy. She made a big deal out of pronouncing it, "oh-ee-she," and explained that it meant delicious in Japanese. I nodded and smiled as I drove, trying not to laugh at how excited she got about food and restaurants. It was what she did after all. She had brought her camera and notebook to take notes so she could write about our dinner in her blog, and possibly for the Times.

I laughed out loud when she said, "I hope we see someone famous."

"What am I? Chopped liver?"

"You know what I mean!"

I grabbed her hand and brought it to my mouth, kissing the back of it. She smiled at me from her seat, then intertwined her fingers with mine and held my hand the rest of the ride.

We'd only been waiting about five minutes when Lafayette breezed in and took a seat next to Sookie. He put an arm around her and pulled her in for a hug, kissing both cheeks. Then he sat back and grinned at me, raising one eyebrow to ask if I wanted the next hug.

I kept a straight face, no pun intended, and simply said, "Good to see you, Lafayette."

He laughed; it was loud and bordered on obnoxious. "You get used to me, baby. If you keepin' Sookie, you stuck with me."

Sookie took my hand over the table and smiled, "Every girl needs a gay bestie."

"Well, then you're all set," I laughed.

She joined me laughing, and then patted my hand. "Aw. You get me. Bill never seemed to understand."

I smiled and hid my irritation at being compared to Bill. There were an infinite number of ways that I was superior to that douchebag.

Lafayette cracked up, and then he turned to Sookie and his face lost all expression. "You know what happens when you mention his name, right?"

"Laf, no," she giggled.

He looked down his nose at her and waved a waiter over to the table. He ordered a round of sake and sent the waiter off before we could order anything else. I had to laugh, even though Sookie looked put out with him, her cheeks were pink, and her eyes were flashing. She'd been missing that for a few days, and I knew that the visit with Lafayette was already working its magic.

We ordered the chef's special tasting menu for dinner and settled in to eat and catch up. Lafayette told great stories about Sookie and some of their escapades in years past. They had spent a lot of time together when Bill was in Dental School and Laf's ex was studying for the Bar. When Sookie had introduced Laf to Amelia, it had been like throwing gas on a fire. The stories got crazier, and eventually my side hurt from laughing so hard. Laf knew how to tell the right mix of stories. He'd tell a couple tales that embarrassed Sookie, and then told one that was humiliating for himself before she got angry.

We were finishing dinner when he turned to Sookie with a grin that spread across his face. "Princess, you want to hear a funny story?"

Sookie was working on a good buzz but was trying to pace herself despite Laf's constant refilling of her glass.

"I'd love to!" she said, leaning closer to her friend.

"Once 'pon a time, in fairytale land, there was a bachelor party for a man named Sam Merlotte."

I'd gotten really drunk that night, and I didn't let that happen very often. Not anymore anyway; you never knew where photographers would be hiding. My stomach sank a little as Sookie actually clapped her hands together in glee. I tried to remember if there was anything _really _bad that had happened, or if it was just regular drunken revelry.

Her eyes sparkled at me from across the table. "This is going to be good!"

"Oh, this shiz is better than good. Big E, you want to tell the story?" He waited, as if I was going to volunteer to tell my own drunken tale. "Tha's okay, sugar. You chime in when you feel like it."

He told a very dramatic story about Sam and me doing body shots off a stripper. At one point, he tried to convince Sookie that the stripper was in drag.

"No!" she said, eyes wide.

Laf shrugged. "Not really, but I almos' got you!"

Sookie burst out laughing, and he continued the story. I was barely listening, as I thought of ways that I could torture Sam for telling Laf about that night. Sookie giggled as he wound her up for the punch line.

"Then, and this is why I'm after Sam's security tapes; I'll share if they ever turn up. Pinky swear." He took a dramatic pause, and I raised an eyebrow at him. It wasn't that bad. It was funny, but not nearly as bad as it could have been. "Mr. Northman and Mr. Merlotte woke up with Mr. Sunshine. Because they was in nothin' but birthday suits, stretched out like sexy kitty cats on lounge chairs by the pool."

"Meow," Sookie teased, making a sexy paw with her hand and scratching the air.

I shook my head at them and smiled. I realized that in some manner, this was Lafayette's way of showing his approval of me, and I was glad, because he was right; I planned on keeping Sookie around.

A little while later, Lafayette excused himself for a moment while we were waiting for dessert, and Sookie moved to sit next to me. I put an arm around her and gave her a quick kiss.

"It's been fun, Eric. Thanks for realizing I needed a bit of home." She put her hand on my knee under the table, and I felt her fingers rubbing along my inner thigh. It was very distracting.

I tucked some hair behind her ear. "What about Lafayette and sushi is home?"

She snorted. "He's been a part of my life for so long. It's like Laf is the bridge between the pieces of my life. He doesn't let me forget who I've been."

"That's a funny way to put it, seeing as he's been trying to get you drunk since you mentioned Bill's name."

The corner of her mouth lifted. "He didn't like me when I was with Bill. He's been making me drink when I said his name for eleven years."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She squeezed my leg lightly. "He was right."

"What does he make you do when you say my name?"

She giggled and blushed. "You don't want to know."

Oh, hell yes I did. But Lafayette picked that time to return to the table.

"You won't believe who I ran into! Mmm. She look good."

"Who?" Sookie grinned.

"Ben and Jen! I don't know who she got doin' her hair, but she need to make sure she don't get on they bad side. She droppin' a wad of green for that fake natural thing she got goin' on."

"And how did Ben look?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Both Lafayette and Sookie's eyes opened wide in delight. "Oh! Mr. Man, you stole her line!"

We all laughed, and I felt Sookie's hand sliding up my thigh, it went just high enough to tease me and make me shift in my chair. Then she moved back over to her seat next to Lafayette, and the waiter served dessert.

We said goodbye to Lafayette in the foyer before venturing out into the parking lot; knowing that Ben and Jen were at the restaurant multiplied the paparazzi quota by thousands. Laf had just slipped out the door when I heard Ben call my name.

"Hey! We didn't realize you were here!" He came over and shook my hand, and I heard Sookie and Jen exchanging pleasantries.

He invited me to a poker tournament and I heard Jen and Sookie making lunch plans. I smiled, glad that she was making friends and Ben laughed at me.

"Dude. You've got it bad."

I shrugged. "You would know."

He laughed and clapped a hand on my shoulder as the four of us exited the restaurant together. The paparazzi descended on us, flashes bursting and voices shouting. Sookie grabbed my hand, and we split off towards the Vette. Ben and Jen made their way to a Mercedes SUV, and he gave me a wave as he crossed behind the car after helping Jen in.

I ducked into my seat and waited for the paparazzi cloud to clear before turning the car on and heading for home. Sookie was relatively quiet in the car. I had expected a few more giggles and a bit more forwardness from semi-drunk Sookie, but maybe sake was a different drunk for her.

When we walked in the house, I stopped in the kitchen to listen to my voice mails, since I'd kept my phone on vibrate all through dinner. I saw something sort of float by out of the corner of my eye and looked up to see my very naked girlfriend walking towards the sliding door. She slid the door open and stepped out into the pool area, glancing over her shoulder to look at me and biting her lip. I hung up the phone, voice mails forgotten, and stripped out of my clothes, following her like one of Pavlov's dogs.

She dove in and swam the length of the pool. I was about to follow her lead and get into the water, when she climbed the stairs on the other end, water droplets sliding down her skin and the moonlight glinting off her hair. It was a beautiful sight, but it didn't last, as she continued walking, and went through the sliding door that led to our bedroom.

I followed her, stepping into the room to see a very wet, very naked, Sookie stretched out on the sheets.

She grinned at me, her eyes sparkling. "You didn't get wet."

"I think I'll focus on keeping you wet," I said, climbing on the bed next to her.

She giggled, and reached out to touch my chest. My erection grazed her hip as I reached between her legs, ghosting the back of my hand up her thigh. Her skin was cool from the pool water, yet I was so close to her center that I could feel the heat radiating from the inside. She began kissing my chest, and I felt her pause as I slipped my finger between her folds, spreading the moisture that was already pooling there. She moaned quietly as my fingers stroked along her silky skin and continued kissing and caressing my chest.

I dipped two fingers inside her, pumping in and out, and her hips began to move in time with me, while I used my other hand to tweak her nipple, rolling it between my fingers and tugging gently. She bit her lip and gasped my name, and I knew that she wanted me to touch her clit, but I held off, continuing to stroke her with my fingers, reaching towards her g-spot. I waited until I felt her muscles start to spasm and tighten on my fingers, and then I used my thumb to circle her clit before pressing on it. Her back arched, and she cried out as her body squeezed me tight.

As she rode out the orgasm, I stroked myself quickly and aligned our bodies. I pushed into her, feeling her muscles continue to spasm as I stretched them. Her skin was flushed, and her breathing still heavy, but her eyes met mine and she whispered, "Please."

I began to move my hips, stroking long and hard, and she arched to meet each thrust. We moved together, kissing and whispering our desires, "There. Faster. Kiss me. Now. Yes." We were soaked from our sweat and her dip in the pool, and the headboard banged against the wall rhythmically.

"Oh God, Eric," she cried out as I felt another orgasm tightening around me. "Right. Yes. There," she trailed off as she went over the edge.

I reached between us and rubbed her clit, stretching out her pleasure as I pumped into her on the brink of my own release. She bit down on my shoulder, and I came, releasing into her. When I finished, I collapsed and rolled off of her, bringing her over with me so she was half on my chest.

My breathing was quick, and I ran my hands over her back. "God, I love having sex with you."

She giggled, "That's what you love about me?"

I laughed. "Yup. That's it." She smacked my chest. "Ouch. I'm kidding. But seriously, we have pretty amazing sex."

She laughed and sat up, propping her head on her hand. "I'm glad you think so, too. I wasn't sure if I thought it was so good because I was comparing it to married sex. Or if it was because it had been over a year since I'd had sex when we got together."

I stretched my neck forward and kissed her. "Let's just pretend that it's the two of us together."

She snorted. "Our combined skills."

"Yes." I grinned.

Her hand rubbed along my stomach, and she ran her fingers through the sparse hair. "You're sweaty."

"Or just wet since I got in bed with a water nymph."

"Ha. You like me wet."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Of course I do, lover."

She giggled again and surprised me as she stood, pulling on my hand. "Come on. Let's skinny dip."

Like I was going to say no.

**SPOV **

The dinner with Lafayette had been what I needed to straighten things out in my head. I'd been feeling lonely, like I didn't have anything that was mine here in California, but he reminded me that it wasn't true. I had Laf, and most importantly, I had Eric. I hadn't realized how much I needed the two of them to like each other, or at least get along, until I saw them together at dinner.

I can guarantee that Lafayette searched out a story about Eric from Sam to include in the embarrassing moments montage. Which meant that he'd already established that he approved of Eric, and that he thought of Eric as 'his' person too. Lafayette was a loyal friend who would protect you however he could. I'd seen both personae, Lafayette and Martini, when they got mad and hell hath no fury like a six foot tall drag queen. I was a little nervous for Sophie Anne if Lafayette ever got anywhere near her, that could be nasty cat fight.

The week before the premiere I started to feel a little antsy. I was nervous about making my first red carpet appearance, even if the premiere wasn't officially red carpet. Aside from the ice cream binge I had after the Keira Knightly debacle, I'd been eating healthy and had actually lost some weight since moving to California, so luckily I wasn't worried about fitting in my dress.

Daph and I went to the spa for manicures and pedicures, and then joined Jennifer Affleck for lunch. It was a relaxing day, and both ladies assured me that I would really just be Eric's arm candy for the evening. It should have offended me, but I actually felt better. As long as I looked good and made him look good, I'd be fine. Lafayette didn't trust me to do my hair and make up, so he was coming over in the afternoon to make me 'bootiful,' as he said.

I was generally well spoken, and I was a fan of the show, so I knew I could answer whatever questions the paparazzi or reporters threw at me. I wasn't too worried about the Sophie Anne questions; there wasn't much that they hadn't tried to shock me with about that topic.

Jen and Daph laughed at me, saying that it sounded like I had everything together, and I just needed to relax. Daph completely embarrassed me, saying that Eric and I just needed to have crazy sex in the morning before we got ready and I'd be so blissed out that I wouldn't be nervous, plus I'd have a big smile on my face for all of the pictures.

"Ohmygod. I can't believe you said that!" I squealed.

They both laughed, and I was floored when Jen raised an eyebrow. "It's not a bad idea really."

We burst into giggles and drew the attention of the tables of around us. I wiped my eyes and thanked them. "I needed this ladies."

I was struck by the thought that the two of them combined, might become my Amelia in California.

00oo00oo00oo00

After much pestering, I broke down a few days before the premiere and told Eric to wear a red tie. I knew he had several, I'd seen them in his closet, and I had put off telling him what color to wear as long as I could.

"You're wearing red, lover? You know I like the way you look in that color."

"It's not all red," I teased, trying to be coy.

The day of the premiere, we had a mind blowing round of morning sex before Eric went to the gym; though I don't know how he had the energy for it. I showered and shaved and then slathered myself with the Victoria's Secret lotion that Eric liked.

I made pecan chicken salad for lunch and we ate by the pool when Eric got home. We chatted quietly and Eric's cell phone rang. It was the Grateful Dead's _Truckin_', and we grinned knowing it was Sven.

"What's up?" Eric said as he answered.

I loved that he spoke to his brothers several times a month. Chris had called the week before to tell him that things were going well with Zaneta. They also talked about getting together over Labor Day, but it all depended on the filming schedule of Eric's new movie.

Eric was smiling as he listened to Sven and laughed a bit. They talked quietly and I heard him tell Sven that I was fine, and that we were going to the premiere later. I went in side for a while, loading the dishwasher and cleaning up from lunch. When I went back onto the patio, I heard Eric tell Sven they would talk soon, and he ended the call.

He hung up and looked at me, shaking his head. "That kid is whipped. Do you know what he's doing?"

"He bought shoes?"

"No," he snorted. "He already did that. They're buying a house."

"Holy crap, Batman. That's serious. They're getting married."

"That's what I said! He didn't say no. He said, 'Not yet.'"

"Aw. That's sweet. So wait, your broke brother is buying a house with his school teacher girlfriend?"

"I might be helping with the down payment." He tried to look sheepish, but was most unsuccessful.

"Is that going to bother your dad? Because you know he'll figure it out. It's not like a plane ticket."

He sighed. "We'll find out, but I think he'll be okay. He knows that I don't throw money at people. Sven and I talked about how he can pay me back."

"Hey," I said quietly and climbed into his lap. "You don't have to defend yourself to me. It's your money, and I like that you're helping him out. All I'm saying is that it's a very fatherly thing to do."

"You think I should talk to dad about it?"

"I think maybe you should tell him Sven asked; but it's your family."

He laughed. "My mom already considers you her daughter-in-law. You know this, right?"

"Your mom is probably tracking my monthly cycle from afar to encourage us to have sex when I'm fertile."

He opened his mouth, like he was going to deny it, and then he laughed. "Yeah. She probably is."

The doorbell rang, and I knew that my Fairy Drag Queen had arrived. I kissed his forehead. "I love you. Even though your mom is crazy."

"Thanks. I love you, too. I'm glad you can look past that little detail."

00oo00oo00oo00

I opened the door to find Martini dressed as Audrey Hepburn. The tiara, wig, sunglasses, and dress were classic _Breakfast at Tiffany's_.

"Where's your cigarette holder, Miss Golightly?"

She slid her sunglasses down her nose and looked over them at me. "That shiz bad for your skin." She grinned. "Ready for bootification?"

"I am."

"Do I get to touch him?"

"He said you can style his hair."

"I love him."

"I know, baby." I patted her shoulder as she came past me into the house.

"Tell him not to -"

"Put any shit in his hair before your magic fingers touch it. I already told him."

Martini kissed my cheeks, and we went back to the master suite to get ready. She styled my hair in long waves, giving it body and movement. As she applied my cosmetics, I felt the need to remind her several times that I wanted to look natural. She called Eric in and did his hair, mumbling about how unfair it was for him to be so beautiful.

Eric gave me a kiss, waggling his eyebrows at my silk robe, and I slapped his butt as he left the bathroom. He got dressed while Martini did a quick once over of my hair and make up. When we stepped into the bedroom I smelled Eric's cologne, and it made me smile. Martini took a deep breath and looked at me like she'd been drugged.

"That man, is sex on a stick."

I nodded and laughed, as I pulled the dress from the closet. After I'd steamed it, I'd made room in the closet and forbidden Eric from getting anything out until after I was dressed. I pulled on my garter and stockings. Martini insisted that I wear them, and I think I heard Eric agreeing from the dining room, or at least he would have if he knew the question. I stepped into the dress and zipped it as she held out my shoes. I slipped into them, and she fluffed my hair one last time before I headed down the hall to meet Eric.

I felt a little like Cinderella going to the ball, but I found my prince as soon as I stepped into the dining room. Eric looked gorgeous. He filled out his Tom Ford suit perfectly. Martini had pulled a camera from one of her bags and was snapping pictures of the two of us grinning like fools.

Eric stepped closer and ran the back of his hand along the neckline of my dress. I closed my eyes and sighed, my skin practically tingling under his touch.

"Sookie, you look beautiful," he sighed. "Your dress is perfect. It's vintage, isn't it?"

I laughed. "Did she tell you?" I glanced at Martini, who was shaking her head no, and looking all kinds of impressed that Eric even knew the word vintage.

Eric winked. "I know things. Are you ready? The car is out front." We were taking a chauffeured car so we could relax and not worry about driving home.

I looked back at Martini who was holding out my evening bag, which she had filled with the products I would need to freshen my make-up. I grabbed the beaded bag and looked back at Eric.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Do you think they're ready for me?"

He stepped closer to me and whispered in my ear, "They've never seen anything like you lover."

oo00oo00oo00oo00

**A/N:**

I love Lafayette. Can you imagine this Laf with Amelia? I might have to write that outtake. LMAO.

Thanks again for reading and reviewing! See ya next week - oh, and you know, review, please.

The Sushi restaurants in this chapter:

http:/www(dot)oysysushi(dot)com/oysy(dot)html  
http:/www(dot)noburestaurants(dot)com/malibu/index(dot)html


	26. Head Over Heels

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 26: Head Over Heels**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

I bow to **TVgirl's** coolness this week. Without her trip to the TB premiere this summer, I would have been WAY off base with this chapter. HUGE thanks to her for pre-reading and helping me whip it into shape!

The usual sugar coated thanks to **A Redhead Thing **and **Sapfirerose**. They remain, the cup to my cake, the vim to my vigor, the Can to my Cun, and the lemon to my ade. I luff them.

Ladies and gentlemen (cuz there might be at least man reading), I give you the _Bloodlust _premiere.

00oo00oo00oo00oo

**~~EPOV~~**

The ride to the Paramount lot seemed to fly by. I kept Sookie distracted, talking about the first time I walked the red carpet. It had been for a movie that I'd had a small role in; I played a Swedish model who died in a gasoline fight. Sookie laughed hysterically at my story of tripping and almost knocking over Nancy O'Dell from _Access Hollywood. _I was mortified, and Pam never let me forget it.

When we arrived at the theater on the lot, I got out of the car and reached back to take her hand. Our eyes met, and I winked at her, trying to help her relax. She stepped out slowly, being careful in her tall heels. We posed for a couple of pictures, and I moved my hand to her lower back, the connection a comfort to both of us.

Then Alcide appeared, speaking into the bluetooth earpiece that seemed to be permanently attached to his head. He nodded at us and disconnected his call. "Ready?"

"I believe we were waiting for you," I said smartly.

"Whatever," he huffed with a laugh.

I shook my head; Alcide was something else. He led Sookie towards the the building where she would have to wait for me. I had explained it all to her in the car, that the red carpet at this event was really only for the stars of the show, not spouses and significant others, and she understood. She was relieved actually, and I couldn't believe I hadn't explained it to her sooner.

As Sookie and Alcide stepped away, I heard the paparazzi start vying for my attention.

"Eric, look this way."

"Eric! Over here!"

"Eric, who are you wearing?"

"Over here!"

"Here!"

I kept smiling, letting them get a few good shots, and made my way down the carpet. The network had sent a handler named Debbie Pelt to accompany me as I made my entrance. She was basically there to carry a bottle of water for me and make sure that no one asked me anything too outrageous. Honestly, I was pretty sure she would report back to Bobby if I gave away any plot information about _Bloodlust_.

The first reporter I encountered was from TV Guide, and I had done an interview with her recently, so it was pretty routine. She smiled reassuringly, and then held the microphone out.

"Good to see you. You look great. Who are you wearing?"

"Thanks. You look great too. I'm in Tom Ford."

"Are you here with Sookie Stackhouse tonight?"

"Yes," I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. "She's waiting for me in the air conditioning."

"Did you and Sookie sit down and plan what you would wear tonight?"

I chuckled, it always amazed me how much people cared about what celebrities wore. "Ah, no. She told me two days ago to wear a red tie."

"She didn't let you see her dress? That's sweet!" Then she began asking questions about the upcoming season. Bobby wouldn't let us say much, so I couldn't actually tell her anything, and we did a little verbal dance around the plot.

I moved through the gauntlet of reporters and television cameras and repeated that first conversation several times over. There were fans mixed among the crowd, and they were shooting pictures with small cameras and cell phones, too. Debbie kept me moving, not letting any one interview take too long. Eventually, I got to Nancy O'Dell, whom I was surprised to see because this was 'just a premiere' and not an awards show.

"Eric! Lovely to see you!" She gave me a hug, as if we had bonded when I almost knocked her over.

We went through the standard interview. Who are you wearing? What will happen on the upcoming season? What are you doing when the season wraps? Then she asked the question I'd been waiting for. I knew someone was going to ask it, and I was pretty surprised that it had taken this long for someone to put it out there.

"Eric, how do you feel about Sophie Anne not being here tonight?"

"Well, I'm sure she would have liked to be a part of it, but she's getting help, and that's the most important thing."

I was still smiling, trying to figure out my get-away, when Pam magically appeared by my side, reminding me of Alcide's jokes about her being a witch. If looks could kill, Nancy would have been six feet under. Pam looked her up and down; her narrowed eyes did not show approval.

Icily she said, "Sorry, Nancy. There are some important people Eric needs to speak with inside."

We walked away from her, and I kept my head high, smiling and nodding at everyone.

Although I never saw her mouth move, I heard Pam say, "Good job. That was a great answer. You handled it perfectly."

**~~SPOV~~**

Alcide deposited me just inside the lobby, saying, "Stay."

I smacked him on the arm and laughed.

"Call me if you need me, there are some scantily clad women I'm going to go talk with."

I rolled my eyes, and he walked away, leaving me on my own. I stood with a group of other people who were waiting for someone on the red carpet. Liam's girlfriend, Holly, introduced herself to me right away and sort of took me under her wing. She was friendly and seemed fun as she took pictures of our little group with her cell phone, waving at Liam a few times as he made his way through the press. He was still breaking into the Hollywood scene, having small parts here and there, and they both hoped that _Bloodlust _was his big break.

Eventually, Eric joined me in the lobby. He was with Pam, who raised her eyebrow at my dress.

"Roses. How cute."

"Thank you, Pam. It's vintage."

She snorted. "Thank god. I would hope no designer today uses that _Gone With the Wind_ floral pattern."

"Pam." Eric growled.

She rolled her eyes. "It looks lovely on you, Sookie. I wouldn't be caught dead in it."

"I'm sure you wouldn't be; it has color on it," I snarked about her predominantly black wardrobe.

"Touché." She inclined her head towards me, and then turned to Eric. "I'll see you at the table."

He and I stayed there for a few minutes, waiting as other cast members made their way through the press. Eric told me that Nancy O'Dell had asked him about Sophie Anne. At first I was irritated, but it was to be expected that someone would bring it up. He told me how he answered, and I tried to stop myself, but a bubble of laughter slipped out. His politically correct non-answer reminded me of the movie _Bull Durham,_ when Crash Davis tells Ebby Calvin Nuke LaLoosh that he needs to learn his clichés for interviews.

"What?" he asked looking confused.

""I'm just happy to be here, and I hope I can help the ballclub," I quoted Crash with another giggle.

He cocked his head at me and then threw his head back and laughed out loud. Then he repeated the cliché that Ebby told a reporter in the movie. "I just want to give it my best shot and, good lord willing, things'll work out."

"Exactly," I laughed, loving that he knew what I'd been getting at.

He leaned close and hugged me with his arm around my waist. "I love you."

We mingled on our way into the theater, stopping to talk to a few of Eric's co-stars, and waving at Bobby from across the room. We found our seats for the screening and settled in, his hand on my knee.

The president of the network gave some opening remarks, and then Bobby said a few words. He thanked the cast and crew, joking that it was a dramatic season both on and off screen, and all eyes turned to Eric, who grinned and shrugged. Then Bobby took his seat, and the lights went down for the screening to begin.

It was the first time that Eric would see the first two episodes in their entirety, so he was almost as excited as I was. I tried not to talk as we watched, but I had to lean over to him several times, telling him how well I thought he'd played a scene or what I imagined a plot twist meant for the series.

When the screening was done and everyone clapped as the lights came back up, I turned to Eric, wide eyed. From living with Eric and working on his lines together, I knew how the season played out, but these first episodes set it all up, and his performance had been flawless in my eyes.

"You're amazing."

"Thanks," he said quietly, looking back at me.

"No really, you have a gift. You command the screen."

"Are you being a smart ass now?"

I laughed as I put my hands on each side of his face. ""No, I'm being serious. I'm proud of you. You gave that performance in the midst of Sophie Anne's bullshit, and it was wonderful."

He gave me a crooked smile. "I don't deserve you."

"Eh. Today, you do."

People had begun filing out of the auditorium and back into the lobby, and we moved with them. Alcide appeared at my side again, angled his head towards the reporters waiting for the cast to emerge.

"Part two, boss man?"

Eric sighed, "Yes."

In the car on the way over he'd given me a run down of the night, so I knew there was another round of interviews.

"What's with the sigh?" Alcide rolled his eyes. "Put on your big girl panties and do your thing. I'll take Sook over to the party."

"Thanks, Cide." He turned to me, "See you in a bit?"

I nodded, and he was gone. "Lead on, Alcide."

We walked out of the theater and through the lot, to a large tented area. When we entered, I was a little blown away, I wouldn't have believed we were in a tent if I hadn't just come in through the doorway. Everything was decorated vampire-chic, with black and white coffins and a dripping blood motif. It could have been campy, but it worked. The center pieces were large vases of mixed flowers that included bleeding hearts with black and red roses, while soft red lighting cast a spooky glow.

Alcide led me to the bar for Bloodytinis, which I'm sure were vodka and grenadine, then we went over to Eric's table. Each cast member had their own, and our table included Pam, Alcide, and a couple of other people on Eric's 'team' that I was just meeting.

Alcide and I waited with the same group that had been in the lobby with me earlier, grabbing hors d'oeuvres as waiters passed and chatting. I was thrilled to hear that the dinner was catered by Wolfgang Puck, and I considered having words with Eric for not telling me beforehand. I smiled to myself though, realizing that he probably had no idea who the caterer was.

Pam arrived, scotch in hand, and I knew Eric wouldn't be too far behind. When he arrived, he stole a sip of my drink, and sighed, as my hand found its way into his. He was pulled away again after only a few minutes, and I found myself chatting with some cast members and their dates. Eric got his picture taken and mingled with some industry insiders with Pam at his side.

I was talking with one of Bobby's assistants when Eric joined me again. He handed me another drink that I certainly didn't need, and kissed my neck, sighing as he took a break from what could only be classified as selling himself. I didn't envy him at all. It was hard enough feeling like I was on display as his girlfriend, but to have to be _on_ and talk to everyone else on top of it? I didn't know how he did it.

We finally sat down to eat, and the meal was delicious, but Eric was interrupted quite often as people continued to mill throughout the room. I enjoyed the meal and chatted with Pam and Alcide. I took some pictures of the food and table decorations to put up on the blog. The scotch had loosened Pam up a bit, and we talked about my blog and the reviews I was working on for the Times. She recommended some restaurants and suggested a farmers market that I should visit. When we finished eating, Eric excused us from the table and led me towards the bar to escape the crowd for a few minutes.

I put my hand on his waist inside of his suit jacket while his hand rubbed my back. We talked uninterrupted for only a few minutes, but it was the thought that counted. I took a few pictures for fans and got another drink after Eric was drawn away by some director or producer that I didn't recognize. I realized I was going to have to talk to Pam or Alcide, and get a crash course in Hollywood who's who. I knew the celebrities, but the behind the scenes people were strangers to me.

At one point, Eric waved me over to join him, and we talked with Bobby Burnham. He told us how pleased he was working with Eric this season, and that he had big plans for his character. Eric commented on looking forward to the next season as I smiled and nodded, complimenting Bobby on the first two episodes. Someone called Eric's name and when he turned to talk to them, I took advantage of my moment alone with Bobby.

"I wanted to say thanks. I know you really didn't do it for me, or for Eric, but thank you for not having him film a lot more with Sophie Anne this season."

The corner of his mouth raised. "You're right, I didn't do it for either of you. It was the best thing for the show. But, you're welcome. Eric has the potential for a very long career in Hollywood if he continues to make smart choices about roles."

I smiled, and clinked our drink glasses, "Here's to that."

He winked and walked away.

I turned around, unconsciously sliding my hand into Eric's pocket. I tried not to completely freak out when I realized that he was talking to Michael Emerson from the hit show _Lost_. Eric's arm came around me, giving me a squeeze. When there was a break in the conversation, he introduced me to Michael, who was married to one of the actresses on _Bloodlust_. I tried not to be too fangirl when I told him that I loved his show. He told Eric that he should take me to Hawaii so I could blog about the food and restaurants there, and I tried not to squeal about the fact that Michael freaking Emerson knew that I wrote a food blog. Bobby called out to Eric again and motioned him over to talk to someone else, and Michael excused himself, leaving me on my own for a bit.

I headed to the restroom and then back to the bar to talk with Holly. Liam joined us, and someone ordered tequila shots. Eventually, Liam got called away to have some pictures taken with other cast members. Holly and I stayed by the bar, sipping drinks. She commented on a couple of outrageous outfits and we bonded over people watching. I had tried to alternate my drinks with glasses of water, but as the night went on the glasses of water were getting smaller.

We got along well, and I was glad to find someone to visit with while Eric was on display. Holly gave me the dirt on some of the other party goers, and we exchanged numbers, planning to get together for lunch soon. When we were both slightly drunk, she turned to me, biting her lip, looking like she had something to say.

"Sookie, all that business with Sophie Anne. I just wanted to say I'm sorry that you and Eric had to go through that. You seem really great, and you can just see how much Eric is in love with you. He can't take his eyes off of you."

"Thanks, I guess." I looked over at Eric to see him watching me while someone talked at him. "I come with my own baggage."

"Oh, your ex. I can't believe he threw you to the wolves! You really should find some way to get back at him."

"Well, I think being with Eric is revenge enough. I'm pretty sure he expected me to wallow in my misery for another decade or so."

"Men can be such assholes."

"Yeah, that's for sure." I laughed, and then felt Eric's hands on my waist just before his chest met my back.

"What are you girls talking about?"

"How men can be assholes," I laughed.

"Ah, I see. Have I been neglecting you?"

"No! Not you. We were talking about Bill actually, but I'd much rather talk about something else." I crossed my arms in front of me, putting my hands over his to give them a squeeze.

"How about we get out of here, lover? Bobby just left, so we can go anytime."

"Bobby's gone?" Holly excused herself to find Liam so they could head out.

I turned around in Eric's arms, resting my head on his chest. "I'm ready when you are." His hands rubbed my arms, and his voice dropped even lower. "Let's get the hell out of here so we can get naked. The only thing better than holding you like this is being buried inside you."

"Mmmm. You have a one-track mind, Northman."

"You know you want me."

"Always." I giggled.

He shook his head and led me out of the party, walking at a good clip past the remaining paparazzi and camera crews.

**~~EPOV~~**

Sookie handled the evening amazingly well. I knew that she was nervous because this was her first big event, but she looked beautiful and impressed the hell out of me as she just rolled with whatever the night threw at us. Even Nancy O'Dell trying to shock me with a question about Sophie Anne's absence didn't rile her.

She looked pissed for a minute, and then even though I could see she was trying to stifle it, she giggled. "I'm just happy to be here, and I hope I can help the ballclub."

I cocked my head for a second, because it took me a heartbeat to realize what she was talking about. My girlfriend had just quoted a baseball movie to me. I laughed out loud before reciting another cliché from _Bull Durham_. "I just want to give it my best shot and, good lord willing, things'll work out."

I loved that she saw the humor in some of the bullshit that I had to say in interviews. I put an arm around her and pulled her close, telling her that I loved her. She grinned back at me, her eyes dancing with love and humor, and I wanted to turn around and take her home. For an instant, I didn't want to share her with these people, and I certainly didn't want Hollywood to jade her or destroy her light.

The screening of the first two episodes went well. I was pleased with how everything had been put together. I didn't like the cut they'd chosen for one of my scenes, but I'm sure that I was the only one that was noticed it. I hadn't quite portrayed the emotion as fully as I wanted to, the way I knew I had in the final take.

After the second round of interviews, I finally went into the party and joined Sookie. Then I spent most of the night making small talk and getting my picture taken. It was bearable only because whenever I started to think I wanted to strangle myself, I would see Sookie and remember that I wasn't in this alone anymore. She looked beautiful, and no matter who she was talking to, her face beamed. I'm sure that at some point she was bored, but it never showed.

We ate dinner, and it was nice to have a few minutes to sit with Sookie and relax, but it didn't last. I was only able to get a few bites of chicken in before I was interrupted. Sookie squeezed my hand, and I responded in kind, thankful to have her at my side. I didn't need to remind myself how good this was for my career; I knew that this was all part of the game. I took a deep breath and put a smile on my face, even though I was exhausted.

When we finished dinner I led Sookie to the bar where we could have a few minutes of quiet. It was out of the way, and a little darker than the rest of the party, so we took advantage of the cover it provided. Sookie slid her hand inside my jacket and onto my waist. It was sweet and sexy, and I rubbed my hand over her back, needing to feel connected to her. We sipped drinks and talked quietly before I was called away.

At one point, Bobby Burnham stopped me near the middle of the room and asked where Sookie was. I motioned her over, and he told us how pleased he was with my work and the season as a whole. Of course in the middle of the conversation I had to turn around to talk to someone else, leaving Sookie talking to Bobby. I had no idea what they discussed, but I saw them toast, clinking their glasses before he walked away.

Sookie turned to join the conversation, and I knew she was screaming on the inside when she realized who I was talking to. It was Michael Emerson from _Lost_, the husband of one of my co-stars. He was telling me a story about his time in Hawaii when he was filming there, and I introduced Sookie to him when there was a break in the conversation. She covered her fangirl excitement well, but what was really cool, was that Michael clearly knew who she was too. When he told me to take her to Hawaii to check out the food and restaurants for her blog she damn near squeezed my hand off. Eventually, I was pulled away from Sookie as he moved on to talk to someone else.

Through the course of the night, I talked with some producers and directors, and even some photographers. I knew it was important to make connections. Sookie spent some time with Liam's girlfriend Holly, who I thought was a buyer for Nordstrom, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. I saw the tell-tale lick-slam-suck motions and knew they were doing shots of tequila at one point. I tried to remember if Amelia gave me any specific warnings about Sookie and tequila and realized I might want to warn Sookie about my own love/hate relationship with José Cuervo. I could drink tequila, but I did it with respect, because José had seriously kicked my ass once.

I finally saw Bobby leave and knew that Sookie and I were free to go. I found her with Holly, over near the bar where we had found a quiet moment earlier in the night. I put my hands on her hips as I came up behind her, lightly pressing my body against her back.

I asked what they were talking about and felt bad when Sookie said they were discussing what assholes men could be. I was afraid that I'd misread her, and that I'd left her on her own for too long. She laughed and explained that they were talking about Bill, and I wondered how the hell that topic had come up, but I certainly wasn't asking. I felt her hands on mine, giving them a squeeze, and relaxed a little, then told her since Bobby had left we were free to go.

I didn't have to tell Holly twice, she said her goodbyes and hightailed it off to find Liam. Sookie turned around in my arms, her breasts rubbing against me. She rested her head on my chest and told me she was ready to go. I held her, and if I let it, the rest of the world would have drifted away. Instead, I growled and whispered dirty thoughts in her ear before quickly leading her to the car.

We walked through the small group of photographers that remained; they were always looking for shots of drunk celebrities leaving these things. I followed Sookie into the car, sliding in next to her on the seat all of the way in the back. I reached over and opened the champagne that I'd arranged for the driver to chill for us. She took her shoes off while I poured two flutes. I handed Sookie her champagne, and sat back, putting one arm around her.

"This is a surprise." She smiled sweetly, putting a hand on my chest as she took a sip. "Mmm. Moët and Chandon. How did you know it was my favorite?"

"I did some research," I teased.

"Did you ask Laf, or did you call Amelia?"

"I called Amelia last week."

"Smooth, Northman."

"I do what I can."

She turned, putting her legs across my lap and sighed. "That was nice, but I'm glad it's over."

"You and me both."

"What's next?"

I ran my hand up her thigh, under her dress, and raised my eyebrow with a smirk. "I get you drunk and take advantage of you."

"That's funny." She giggled. "First off, you don't need to get me drunk; I'm a sure thing where you're concerned. And second, I'm already kind of drunk, so you won't have to wait too long for that either."

"My plan is working then, lover. More champagne?" I teased, waggling my eyebrows.

We sat quietly, just content to snuggle, and sip our drinks. We felt the car stop, and I heard the driver get out.

Before he opened the door, I leaned over and kissed her. With a hand on her cheek, I looked into her eyes. "Have I told you tonight that I love you?"

Her eyes sparkled back. "Not in the last hour or so."

"Well, I do." I kissed her again.

"Good," she whispered. "Because I am head over heels in love with you, too."

"Head over heels?" I teased as the door opened. "Isn't that how we finally met?"

She lightly punched my arm. "Funny."

"Ow!" I joked, as I stepped out of the car. I reached back for her hand and couldn't help teasing her even more, "Watch your step."

"Smart ass," she laughed, taking my hand as we walked towards the house.

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**A/N:**

Soooo...good times at the premiere. Now they have some things to discuss, and the Emmy's to prepare for! Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!


	27. Home

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 27: Home**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing last week! I had to laugh at how many of you were not surprised by Nancy O'Dell's obnoxious question!

Big love to my betas **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose**. Thanks girls, for taking time out of your busy lives to contribute to my fanfic obsession. Rachel, greatest idea ever this week. Frlz. :)

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**SPOV**

The Emmy nominations came out and although Eric didn't receive an individual nomination, _Bloodlust_ was nominated for Best Drama. He said he wasn't disappointed, that he was still young and fairly new to Hollywood, but I know that it was something he really wanted. We both agreed that the current season was even better than the last, so we crossed our fingers for next year, and made plans to attend the awards with the cast.

Summer was winding down, and I enjoyed California, but it didn't feel like home yet. I _wanted_ to feel like it was home, being with Eric was definitely where I wanted to be, but I was still getting used to it.

Eric started filming _Western Sky,_ his cowboy movie with Keira Knightley. They worked long hours but were still getting behind schedule. He was frustrated because he had another Indie film lined up to start as soon as production was finished, and then he hoped, we would take a vacation.

I still needed a dress for the Emmy's, but I wasn't having any luck finding what I wanted. I wasn't as skinny as most of the size zero actresses and I wasn't entirely confident in knowing what was appropriate for the varying events that Hollywood required. I had less than two weeks to find something, and I prayed it wouldn't need alterations. I knew in the back of my mind Lafayette would come up with something in a pinch, but I wanted to do it on my own.

I went dress hunting one more time, but it again reminded me how much I missed Amelia. I needed her to tell me when my butt looked big or my boobs were spilling out. Daph and Holly had both offered to help me find something, but I was feeling sorry for myself. Or maybe I was just plain homesick. I decided that I had to give in, and tell Eric that I wanted to go see Amelia or invite her out to visit.

He came home late and was exhausted, but he recognized the signs of trouble when he walked in. I had on my tell-tale fuzzy slippers and was eating Ben and Jerry's directly from the pint. He grabbed a beer and sat down.

"Chubby Hubby, or Dave Matthews Band Magic Brownies?"

"Why?"

He reached forward and pulled down the towel I was using to hold the container. "Magic Brownies. Alright, lay it on me."

"What?"

"There's a scale. I'm just learning it, but Magic Brownies is bad." He calmly took a drink of his beer and waited for me to start talking.

"I'm that obvious?"

"Yeah. Out with it."

"I need to go home. Just for a visit. Or I could invite Amelia to come here."

He set his beer on the coffee table and leaned forward, then ran his hands through his hair and rested his arms on his thighs. He didn't look at me, and he didn't say anything.

"Eric?"

He turned his head towards me, and I was surprised at the sad look on his face. He shook his head slightly, then exhaled.

"I thought you were home."

"What?"

"You said you need to go home. I thought you were home. I mean, I was under the impression this was permanent."

"Oh my god. That's not what I meant." I put down my ice cream and practically scrambled into his lap. His arms came around me, but I felt how tense his back was. "Oh, Eric. I only meant _home_ in the way that you will always call your parent's house home even when you haven't lived there in years. That's what the cottage is to me. But us, here, _you're_ my home."

"Sookie, you can invite Amelia here anytime, this is your place too. But if you want to go back to visit, that's cool. I don't have time right now with filming. I'm going to be honest and say that I don't want you to go just because I'm being selfish, and I'm going to miss you. But I want you to be happy, so you do what you need to do."

"I need help finding a dress," I said quietly.

"Well, I would have to guess that there are more stores here that will have Emmy dresses than back in Michigan, but you two could always go to Chicago."

"You're not upset with me?"

"I panicked when you called Michigan home, but I'm feeling better."

"I'm sorry," I whispered, as I leaned in to kiss him. "I didn't mean it that way."

"It's okay," he sighed. "It just sort of brings up something we should talk about anyway."

"What's that?" I was still in his lap, wrapped around him with my head on his shoulder.

"Well, we talked about wanting kids, but we didn't talk about whether or not you wanted to get married again. I mean, it would be totally different."

"Yeah, it would be different. You would actually _want_ to be married to me."

"Sookie."

I sighed. "I'm old-fashioned; I'd like to marry the father of my children, preferably before I got pregnant. But I haven't had to think about that for a long time. I mean, I thought I was married to the man who would father my children." Eric started to say something, but I continued, "Wait. Let me finish. I've thought about having kids with you, and I want to, god they would be cute. I just haven't figured out how we would get to that point."

His hand slid into the waistband of my yoga pants. "I can tell you how we get to that point."

"Funny. Not the pregnant point, but the married and having kids point. What are you thinking?"

"Honestly?"

"Why do you ask me that? Yes, honestly."

"I would marry you tomorrow. Yesterday, even. I'm waiting for you to be ready."

"You're not scared? I mean, it's only been like three months."

"Sure, I'm scared. It's a big step. But when everything fell into place and I figured out who you were...I mean, it's like we're supposed to be together; and when I think about the future, you're always in it. I can't see me without you." He framed my face with his hands and kissed me gently. "But I completely understand if you're not ready."

"I love you. But you know me; I'm scared. It's like;I would have a baby with you tomorrow, but get married?" I fake shuddered and chuckled. "That scares the shit out of me."

"So, if I proposed, you would say no?"

I sat up and looked at him. "What? No! Of course I would say, 'yes.' Wait, you want to propose?"

"It was hypothetical. But I think I feel better knowing that you would say yes. The rest, we can figure out as we go."

I tucked myself into his chest again. "You really think it's that easy?"

I felt him running his fingers through my hair. "Yeah. I think it could be."

We sat like that for a few minutes, snuggling.

"Feel better?"

"I do."

"Can I put your ice cream in the freezer?"

"Yeah. I don't want it to get too melty." I climbed off of him and fit myself back into the corner of the couch.

He put the ice cream away and turned back to me. "You want to just curl up in bed, or book Amelia's flight?"

"Bed. I'll call Meels in the morning. But you just got home, don't you have anything to do?"

"Just take care of my girl."

I stood and went into the kitchen, wrapping my arms around his waist. "You're kind of fabulous, Northman."

"So are you, Stackhouse. I'm just trying to keep up with you." He kissed the top of my head and led me down the hall to our bedroom.

Eric was gone already when I woke up in the morning, squeezing in a trip to the gym before he went to the set. I made coffee and grabbed both my laptop and the phone to call Amelia; with the time change, she was probably getting ready for lunch.

I called Amelia and forty-eight hours later, she was in California, and we were planning our shopping attack. For as flighty as she seemed, the woman was seriously organized. She had done an extensive internet search for dresses, saving links to the ones she liked and then searching to find out if they were available at any stores in Los Angeles. We sat in the kitchen, sipping coffee and making lists, as Eric said goodbye, heading out for the day. We waded through the options and were reviewing what we had dubbed the finalists before mapping out the store locations. Then we headed out on a mission.

We were at the third store, having taken pictures of the top dresses at stores one and two, when I called it to a halt.

"We need to go back to the first store."

"Really? That's the one?" she asked excitedly.

"Yeah. I can't stop thinking about it."

"Woo hoo! I loved it, too. Let's go."

'It,' was a black chiffon Roberto Rodriguez gown that tied at one shoulder. It had both an asymmetrical neck and waistline, with a soft grey layer of fabric within a shoulder knot and peeking out along the top of the dress. The skirt fell in pleats from the waist, flowing to the floor. It was understated, yet hinted at modern, and though I knew Pam would give me a hard time about wearing black, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I knew that with my hair down and the strand of grey freshwater pearls that had belonged to my Gran, it would be perfect.

I couldn't believe that Amelia and I had accomplished, in less than three hours what I had been struggling with for weeks. By the time Eric got home, we were sitting by the pool, drinking Amelia's signature margaritas and grilling chicken and potatoes in foil packets.

"Hello, ladies," he said, coming up behind me, leaning down to kiss me.

I stood, allowing him to sit, and climbed into his lap. "How was your day?"

"It was good. The gym and riding lessons."

"Riding lessons?" Amelia asked.

"He's in a cowboy movie," I said, waggling my eyebrows.

"I shoot the sheriff," he joked, making a pistol shape with his thumb and pointer-finger.

Amelia and I giggled, singing, "I shot the sheriff. But I didn't shoot the deputy."

He laughed and took the glass from my hand, taking a drink and then giving it back. "You two are funny. How many drinks have you had?"

"Not enough!"

I laughed at Amelia's enthusiasm. "You need a glass?" I put my foot down to stand up and get him one, but he squeezed me, holding me in his lap.

"Stay. I'm dusty and smell like a horse. I want to grab a quick shower. Is there time?"

"Of course. We'll finish making the salad and everything will be ready when you get back."

He kissed my cheek and stood, taking me with him in his arms, before letting me slide down his chest to stand on my own. "I'll be back in a few."

Eric walked away and Amelia smiled as she watched him, I couldn't blame her, his ass always made me smile. "You're still so cute together."

I laughed. "Thanks, I think."

We moved inside and began making a salad. I got out everything we needed, and we worked well together.

"Well, I mean, I knew you fell for him before you even had your memory back, but I haven't seen you like this in years. You're practically glowing. He looks good all of the time, but I've definitely noticed that he's smiling more when the paparazzi catches you together."

"Are you cyber-stalking us?"

"I wouldn't call it stalking. I like to think of it as, looking out for you."

"Oh really?" I snorted.

"Yes. And I have to tell you, that outfit you wore to Whole Foods last week? Burn it."

"Ohmygod. They got pictures of that?"

"Don't you Google yourself?"

"No! I Google Eric."

"You need to start."

"Alright, alright. But if that picture has been up since last week, you should have called me already!"

We were still laughing and joking when Eric came back into the kitchen, looking refreshed. He offered to help but everything was ready so he grabbed a glass, and we went back onto the patio.

"So, how was shopping?" he asked tentatively, as the three of us sat down and began serving ourselves dinner.

"Successful, actually."

"No shit?" He looked at each of us to see if we were joking.

"No shit." I smiled.

"That's it. Amelia, you're moving here." We all laughed. "Do I get to see it? Or is it a surprise again."

"You can see it." I paused for a moment, taking a bite of chicken. "When we leave for the Nokia Theater on Sunday."

"You're mean." He pointed at me with his fork as he and Amelia chuckled.

"I'm just kidding. I'll try it on after dinner if you want."

"Oh yes!" Amelia chimed in. "With your jewelry!"

Eric smiled as Amelia and I launched into a conversation about shoes and strapless bras. We finished eating and discussed our plans for the evening. It was Saturday, and I'd convinced Eric to take us out somewhere that Amelia might see someone famous. He'd offered to invite Sam over to the house instead, saying he was famous. In typical Amelia fashion, she latched on to what Eric said, and suddenly he was inviting Sam and Daph to join us for a night on the town.

Amelia made me go try on my dress while she and Eric cleaned up the kitchen. I went back to the bedroom and carefully put on my freshwater pearls and then the dress before calling Amelia to come help me zip the back. Afterwards, she admired me for a few seconds, agreeing that the necklace was perfect. She went to the guest room to call Tray, and I went to the kitchen to show Eric my dress.

He was putting something in the dishwasher, and turned to look at me, stopping mid-motion.

"What? You don't like it?"

"No, that's not it at all. You look beautiful." He finished what he was doing and turned to look at me again. He twirled his finger at me. "Turn around. Show me the back.."

I obliged and ended, facing him with a smile. "So, you like?"

"I like very much." He stepped forward and put his hands on my face. "I like you best when you wear nothing at all, but this is good too." He leaned forward and kissed me, his hands moving into my hair. I put my arms around him, but was careful not to crush the dress as I kissed him back. We separated and he sighed. "Let's send her out with Sam and Daph and stay here tonight."

"We can't," I whispered back.

"I know. I just want you all to myself."

"But I have a nice outfit picked out for tonight that I think you'd like to see." He raised an eyebrow. "And you know I'll be out on the dance floor with Amelia."

"Okay. Twist my arm," he laughed. "You need help in the shower or anything?"

"Good try, Romeo. I already showered. I just need to do my hair and make-up and change. What time will Sam and Daph be here?"

"In an hour. Will Amelia be ready?"

"If neither of us talks to her. Let me get her off the phone with Tray." I started back down the hall to the bedroom.

"Are you sure you don't need my help?"

I laughed and looked back at him, shaking my head. I poked my head into the guest room and Amelia turned around, still talking to Tray on her cell phone. I pointed at my watch then held up one finger, telling her we had an hour. She nodded, and I repeated the gesture, tapping my foot.

She laughed, and said into the phone, "I have to go. Sookie says we have an hour to get ready. She's tapping her foot at me." I knew Tray would get off the phone, so I headed out of the room as I heard her say, "Okay, baby. Love you, too."

An hour later, I was sitting in Eric's lap by the pool, with his hands running over my smooth, tanned legs. One hand slid around to the back of my thigh, teasing the curve of my ass. My shorts covered it when I stood up, barely, but sitting down was a different story.

"These shorts should be illegal."

"You don't like them?" I looked down at the red shorts, pretending to pout.

"I fucking love them. This shirt, too," he murmured, using his long fingers to slide the spaghetti strap of my black, silk tank top off my shoulder. He leaned forward and kissed the spot where the thin strip of material should have touched my skin.

I shook my hair back over my shoulder. "Really?"

"Mm hm." He slid my strap back up and pushed aside the strands of my necklace, kissing my chest just above the fabric of my shirt.

I had my hands in Eric's hair, shamelessly encouraging him, when I heard the sliding glass door open.

"Whoo-eee! Get a room, brother!" Sam called from behind Daph as they came outside.

Amelia must have heard them come in the house, because she was coming through the one of the doors before they made it to the table. Eric made introductions and after talking for a few minutes, we all climbed into Sam's Cadillac Escalade, since he was our designated driver for the night. Apparently there was a system where he and Eric alternated driving when they went out, and it was Sam's turn. Eric sat up front with Sam, and I sat in the back between the girls as we headed to the club. We talked about the Emmy's; Daph and I described our dresses to each other, and Amelia asked excited questions about the event.

We arrived at the W Hotel and Residences and headed upstairs in the elevator to Drai's Hollywood. According to Daph, it was a new hot spot and had only been open six months or so. There was a Drai's in Vegas, and this was said to rival it. I wasn't entirely sure I was up for what she was describing, but while Amelia called me lame, Eric and Sam assured me that I would enjoy the V.I.P. area outside near the pool.

Once we passed through the several stages of security; a bouncer, a doorman, and then a promoter, we entered the club that could really only be described as a complex. There were several bars and dance areas with seating inside and in the pool area. It was amazing really, the totally different atmospheres within the same club. Sam led us to the pool area where and we found a table in the V.I.P. area.

Eric had finally embraced Amelia's love of all things famous and shiny, and was trying to give her a "Hollywood" night. He pointed out some of the young, famous people at the club who were already on their way to wasted. I struggled with calling them celebrities, or stars, because they hadn't done anything besides be born to rich parents and to end up on MTV, but they were out in droves.

We alternated between dancing and lounging in the V.I.P. area, drinking and having a great time. Amelia was thoroughly enjoying herself, and I had to admit, after protesting about reviewing clubs for the Times because I wasn't really the club-going type, that I was having a great time. Amelia got crazy fangirly for a moment when we saw J. Lo and Marc Anthony, but Eric refused to ask them for a picture, he told her she was on her own, and it didn't slow her down at all.

I came out of the bathroom with Daph at one point, and found Amelia and Eric in deep conversation, well, as deep as you can be after several cocktails.

"She's like a sister to me, Eric," I heard Amelia slur.

"I know she is." He was so serious. "I would never hurt her."

My chest tightened a little hearing his words.

"Good. Because I'll take your balls off if you do."

I couldn't see their faces, but I was sure the corner of his mouth had lifted. They separated with a nod, and Meels gave me a look daring me to ask her what she'd said. I ignored her. I would ask Eric about it later. It would be funny to hear him paraphrase what she said, and it would drive her a little crazy if I wasn't begging her to tell me about it.

When I was on the dance floor with Daph and Amelia, I could feel Eric's eyes on me, and it only made me dance harder. He and Sam joined us to dance a couple of times and even sandwiched Amelia at one point, which I got a great picture of with my phone.

An hour or so after we got there, I came back to the dance floor from getting a drink to find Amelia doing some serious dirty dancing with a guy that I could only see from behind. I was surprised that Daph was smiling and dancing beside them like nothing was out of the ordinary, and neither Eric nor Sam seemed to be reacting. I mean, Amelia could do what she wanted, but I was apparently the only one who thought it was strange. Then they turned, and suddenly I realized what was going on. I practically jumped on top of the man, squeezing him between me and Amelia.

"Laf!"

"Princess!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Partyin' with you ho's!"

We danced to another song, and then I led the group back to Eric and Sam, who were standing together looking out over the Hollywood skyline.

"Mr. Man. Sam," Lafayette said in greeting.

"Mr. Reynolds," Eric replied, copying him, and Sam shook his head and smiled.

"I spent like three hours with you yesterday, and you didn't mention coming out tonight."

"I don't tell you everything, Sammy," Laf said, batting his eyelashes.

"Thank the lord," he muttered.

It turned out that Amelia and I had both texted Lafayette to tell him where we were going. I was glad that he joined us. Being with Laf and Amelia had been just what I needed. Having Sam and Daph there too, made it even better. I got the feeling that Eric was really enjoying blending our groups of friends as well. He moved easily from talking with Sam, to Amelia, or Sam and Laf and was clearly having a great time.

We all stood around talking and laughing, which led to tequila shots and more dancing. Lafayette and Amelia together usually meant that I would end up throwing up at some point in the evening, so I was taking breaks and escaping to snuggle with Eric away from their debauchery.

We were next to each other, shoulders touching as we leaned on the railing, people watching, when I asked what he and Amelia had been talking about.

"Oh, she was being protective."

"Of me?" I scrunched my eyebrows.

"Yep."

"Why?"

"She wanted to know what my intentions were."

"Did you just use air quotes?" I laughed.

"I was showing you what she did."

"If she jumped off a bridge, would you?"

"Okay, drunkgirl." He elbowed me lightly, teasing.

"Whatever." I laughed. "So really, she asked what your intentions were?"

"She did."

"What did you tell her?"

He turned towards me, pulling me into his arms and tucking my hair behind my ear. "I told her my intentions were true. That I was in for the long haul."

"What did she say?"

"I'm pretty sure that she was about to break into the chorus of Beyonce's 'Single Ladies,' but she saw you coming."

"How does that go?" I pretended not to know the lyrics. He laughed, but wasn't falling for it. "Well, so you know, she's already told me she approves of you. She's just making you squirm."

He smiled. "I'm glad you have her. You don't have a mom hoping for grand-kids. You have an Amelia, who wants you to get married and be happy. And she told me tonight she wants to have kids when you do, so they can grow up at the Lake together in the summers."

I smiled and tried not to cry. I looked up at him and said quietly, "But I live here now."

He squeezed my waist with his hands. "Yeah, but we'll go back. The Northman kids will grow up with the Lake _and_ the Ocean. I promise."

I bit my lip and nodded, still looking into his eyes. This was a serious conversation and I was trying to commit it to memory. Praying the alcohol wouldn't make me forget.

"Sexy bitches!" Lafayette screamed the name of the Akon song that the DJ was spinning, and I felt him grab my wrist, dragging me towards the dance floor with Amelia close behind. I glanced back at Eric who was smiling at us, and the moment was gone.

After dancing for a couple of songs, I felt Eric's hands on my waist, and then the rest of his body came up against my back. When he pulled me closer, I could feel how much he had been enjoying watching me dance. After my reaction, of spinning around and practically crawling up his chest to kiss him, I was pretty sure there were going to be pictures of us making out on the dance floor posted on the internet by the time we got home. He knew better than to tease me like that when I was drinking.

Eventually, Eric stepped back and grinned at me, shaking his head. We were both breathing hard and as I looked around and my head cleared, I realized that it was getting late. I was ready to go home, to kick off my shoes and climb into bed with Eric. I glanced over and realized that we'd been abandoned on the dance floor by our friends. Daph was sitting on Sam's lap while Amelia and Laf were sitting down near them and talking. I cocked my head towards them and Eric nodded. We made our way through the crowd to our friends, and rounded everyone up to head home.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

**A/N:**

Awwwww...what great friends! I love protective Amelia, and horny Eric is always nice, too.

So, the Emmy's this weekend in real life, and coming soon for our fictional friends! :)

As always, drop me some review love or a comment, you know I love to hear what you think!

Black one shoulder dress

http:/www(dot)bluefly(dot)com/Robert-Rodriguez-Black-Label-black-silk-Veronica-one-shoulder-tie-detail-gown/cat20112/304289701/detail(dot)fly

Drai's Hollywood in the W Hotel and Residences

http:/hollywood(dot)drais(dot)#/homeIntro


	28. Best Laid Plans

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 28: Best Laid Plans**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

Thanks to **VertityV** for catching my _whoops! _in describing the dress. That's what I get for trying to paraphrase and not just copying the damn description from Roberto Rodriguez! :

OMG how cool is this? **MysticNotions** made an Okay! magazine cover about Sophie Anne's craziness! I love it! Check it out - http:/yfrog(dot)com/n1saokmagcoverbymysticnotj

Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing! I went on a mini-vacation this week and didn't get time to reply to most of you, so here's a great big THANX! Hearing from all of you makes my day!

Hugs and love to the beta girls! As usual, **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose** rock my world.

oo00oo00oo00oo00oo

**EPOV**

I was working on _Western Sky_, putting in extra time to take riding lessons and work with a dialect coach to improve my southern drawl. Long hours on set and the additional language training for my role, were limiting my time with Sookie. I promised her that my next film wouldn't require so much time and that we'd take a vacation before _Bloodlust_ started shooting again.

The Emmy's were creeping up on us, and I wasn't entirely looking forward to them. _Bloodlust_ was nominated for best drama, but I hadn't received an individual nod. It wasn't a surprise really, but it was disappointing. The night would be filled with ass kissing and fake smiles. Thank god I was going with Sookie, she made everything more tolerable.

Amelia had been out for a quick visit, helping Sookie find her dress for the event, and I was amazed how a little dose of Amelia had made such a difference. We'd had a bad moment, or at least I had, when Sookie told me she wanted to go home. Thinking of her feeling at home somewhere else had gutted me. When she saw my reaction we'd talked, and she explained that the Midwest was home in the sense that it would always be home; where she was from. The breath had returned to my lungs, and I walked away from the conversation feeling much better.

Then a couple of days later Amelia had cornered me about my intentions, and Sookie broke my heart all over again, telling me that her home was here with me, not at the Lake with Amelia. She'd been drinking, but I promised her that we would have both; that our children would have the Lake and the ocean. Before Lafayette had dragged her back onto the dance floor, Sookie and I looked into each other eyes, and I knew that she understood that I meant it. The next morning she confirmed it.

"Thank you. For understanding that I'm trying. For knowing that my life is here, but I want to share my past with you, and with our family." She was resting her chin on my chest and running a hand across my stomach.

I grabbed her hand and brought it to my lips for a kiss. She closed her eyes and snuggled against me before getting up and making the coffee that she needed like oxygen.

Sookie seemed more relaxed after Amelia's visit, and she had redoubled her efforts to put down roots in California. She spent time with Daph and Holly, and found some places that she began referring to as hers; _he_r nail salon, _her_ pharmacy, _her _favorite vintage place. She started planning a pool party for our friends and was slowly adding her own decorative pieces around the house.

I wondered if she was doing those things to convince herself that California was home, but she was so happy that I decided to push those worries aside and enjoy her good mood. We went to the beach one day and to dinner another. She visited me on set and met Keira, who was incredibly kind and understanding. She encouraged Sookie to come watch us film any time and introduced us to her boyfriend who was visiting from England.

One afternoon when I was taking a break on set my mother called my cell phone, and we chatted for a few minutes, talking about Sookie, my brothers and the local San Jose gossip that mom always felt the need to share. I thought I was finishing up the call when she told me to hold on and passed the phone to my dad. The first question out of his mouth was whether or not I knew Sven was buying a house. I didn't even get the chance to tell him that I'd helped with the down payment.

"You gave him money, didn't you?"

"Will you be upset if I say, 'Yes'?"

"No, son. I just don't want him to start expecting it. "

"He doesn't, dad. He didn't even ask for it really. I offered. You're not upset? I mean, it wasn't something that you wanted to do?"

"I can't say that I wouldn't love to be able to help him buy a house, but I'd like to be able to help all three of you do it." My dad sighed. "Eric, you can afford to help him, and I'm glad you do. Just keep in mind that he's going to have to make it on his own someday."

"I know, dad."

"Well, I'm glad he finally got a real job at least."

"Yeah. It sounds like he's doing well, and he enjoys it."

"I think they're going to get married before the year's out."

"Married, not just engaged?"

"Yup. If you're not careful he'll give your mom the first grand-baby."

"It's not a contest."

He snorted. "Not to you."

"Yeah."

"Are you at least thinking about it?"

"Dad, I've been thinking about it since I met her."

"Well, good. I really like her. Don't let her get away."

"I know, dad. I don't plan on it." I sighed. "How's mom? I mean, is she still being crazy?"

He chuckled. "She's being mom."

"What has she done?"

"She's pricing caterers and reception halls in Los Angeles, but that's not too crazy."

"What the hell?" I asked in surprise. I hadn't been expecting that. "Why is she doing that?"

"Sookie doesn't have a mom," he said quietly. After a pause I could almost see him shrug before he continued, "It keeps her out of my business, and it's not hurting anyone."

I sighed. "Is she at least doing the same for Sven, or is she counting on Rachel's mom?"

"Well, I think she's been doing a little work on that, but she'll leave that to Rachel's mom mostly. Hey, think of it this way, I'm sure she'll have most of the wedding planned out before you propose."

"Sookie will want to do that herself, dad." I sighed, raking my hand through my hair. "Tell her to go online and check some places near Saugatuck, will you? Sookie would like that."

We finished the call, and I sat at the table in my trailer thinking. These last months had been a whirlwind, but they'd been pretty fucking perfect as well.

I'd gone to Michigan needing some time away from Los Angeles. Being single and in the limelight was a pain in the ass. You're expected to put on a happy face all of the time, even when you're miserable, and you can't date anyone or even go out to dinner for that matter, without starting rumours. It was hard to establish if the people you met were interested in getting to know you or just in being seen with you; and it was a kick in the face when you figured out you were wrong. I'd given up really, hiding behind being busy and occasionally giving in when Sam or my mother tried to set me up with someone. Even with my success in acting, my social life was failing.

I needed a reality check or a glimpse at life outside of Hollywood, which I honestly could have gotten by visiting my parents, but the film festival had been too cool to pass up. Shit. I couldn't imagine where I'd be if I hadn't gone to Saugatuck.

My life had practically turned on a dime when the paparazzi had thrown Sookie into my path. She was exactly what I needed. I'd been feeling disconnected, like what I was doing meant nothing if I didn't have someone to share it with, and even that first night, when neither of us knew who she was, I wondered if I could share it with her.

In the morning, when Amelia had shown up at the beach house, she scared the hell out of me when she mentioned Sookie's love of tiramisu from Rose Angelis. It didn't seem possible that the beautiful woman in my dining room was the same anonymous person I'd been emailing and baring my soul to. In that moment I felt a heartbreaking unfairness because I realized that we had the potential to be so much more than pen pals, and all she remembered about me was that she'd seen me on television.

I knew that I had to ride out her amnesia, to be there when it all came back, and thank god I did. In that time we spent getting to know each other, while she tried to remember who she was, I'd been more myself than I'd been around anyone other than my family in years. Sookie had taken over my heart and my life, and without realizing it I had given myself to her entirely.

Now, here we were; my mom was pricing wedding venues and hearing the cries of grand children. My dad was totally right that I didn't want her to get away. I didn't really think that was a risk, but she hadn't thought Bill was cheating on her. With everything that had brought us together, I realized that I didn't want to leave our future to chance.

I sighed, running my hands through my hair and jumped at the sound of someone clearing their throat. Alcide was standing in the doorway with his eyebrow raised.

"Shit!" I laughed in surprise. "I didn't even hear you open the door."

"Ah, yeah. I noticed." He stepped inside and closed the door. "What's up emo-boy? Did you find the answer to world peace?"

I chuckled. "No. I was thinking about Sookie."

"Big fucking surprise there," he snorted. "They need you back on set, and I'm getting ready to head out. I'm going to get your stuff from the cleaners, and then I'll bring it back and load it in your car. I emailed you the details for tonight and Sunday. The Nominee's Reception is at Spectra in the Pacific Design Center. Grey Goose is one of the big sponsors. You can steal me a bottle if you want."

I arched an eyebrow at him.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes. "I set up a limo to pick you up for tonight and for the Emmys. I'll see you Sunday afternoon to be sure you've got your shit together."

"Thanks. What would I do without you?" I asked sarcastically.

"Clearly you'd have been eaten by wolves already," he said over his shoulder as he left the trailer, letting the door slam loudly in his wake.

Tonight was the beginning of Emmy weekend. For the general public, the Emmys were one night. For nominees, it was an entire weekend of parties and appearances. It was fun, but it got to be a long weekend. Barry had encouraged everyone to attend the Nominee's party, but left everything else up to our discretion. Pam didn't care what we went to, as long as Sookie and I let the paparazzi see that we were still together and still in love.

Sookie had sat down with Pam and Amelia and picked out a party dress, and then Pam told her what to expect and who to look for. It wouldn't be very different than the premiere, and Sophie Anne was still in rehab, so the paparazzi questions should be pretty standard.

The big night would be Sunday, when Sookie and I walked the Emmy's red carpet together. Then we would sit in the Nokia Theater for several hours being filmed for national television as the awards were distributed. You never really knew when a camera was going to zoom in on you, or when Jimmy Fallon was going to ad lib and make a joke about you. With the Sophie Anne drama, I was pretty sure that he'd make a crack either at me or about her at some point in the night. Pam had lectured both Sookie and I that if it did happen, we needed to smile and laugh, but not too loud, and not too long. Sookie asked her to demonstrate, and I thought I might have had to pull Pam off of her, but then Sookie giggled and said she was only kidding.

I stretched and left the trailer, heading back to the mock up of the saloon, pausing for a dusting of powder to get rid of the shine on my face. We shot a poker scene with me and some rough and tumble cowboys, while Keira served whiskey. It took several takes, and we all joked about getting drunk on the apple juice that was poured into our glasses in each run through. We finally got it right or enough of it right that they could splice it together and finished for the weekend.

After my rather thoughtful afternoon, I had a plan, and I would take the first steps as soon as the weekend was over. I changed out of my dusty cowboy gear and headed for the Vette, ready to get home and start the Emmy celebrations and much, much more with Sookie.

oo00oo00oo

SPOV

Martini did my hair for the Emmy Nominee's party. I tried to tell her I could manage on my own, but she wouldn't hear it. Eric got home from the set, and I was relaxing, sitting in the living room in my robe, drinking some lemonade.

"That's not fair. How am I supposed to be motivated to go shower and leave the house with you looking like that?"

I laughed. "Well, cowboy, you're not getting near me smelling like that anyway, so you might as well shower."

"You have a point." He sank into a chair across from me.

"Are we driving tonight?"

"No, I got a limo. Why? Are you planning on getting really drunk and dancing on the tables?"

I kept a straight face. "Yeah."

"You're such a liar," he laughed.

My face broke into a smile and I giggled. "Yeah, I am. I was actually deciding if I should wear underwear."

He raised an eyebrow. "Not what underwear to wear, but if you should wear them?"

"That's what I said, Northman."

"I've said it before; you are evil," he said, shaking his head.

"That, I am. Now go get showered, and I might help you get dressed." He stood and walked away, raising an eyebrow over his shoulder. "Sorry pal, my hair and make up are done. You're showering solo." He stepped into the house, pausing to press his butt against the sliding door to tease me, and I laughed out loud.

I had picked out a simple jersey dress with a cowl neck for the party. It was something that I'd found while wandering on Melrose with Daph, and I loved it. The tag said it was mocha, but no matter how many times I told him, Eric called it beige. Whatever color it was, it looked good with my new California sun-tan; I certainly couldn't have pulled it off in the middle of a Chicago winter with pale skin.

Pam had given me the thumbs up when I asked if it was appropriate. Her eyes had lingered on the low neckline before returning to mine with a wink.

"It's perfect, Sookie. You'll look delicious."

"Eew. Keep it in your pants, Pam," I teased.

She waggled her eyebrows at me and answered her phone, thankfully ending our conversation.

Eric and Pam had been trying to tell me that the Nominee's Party was just cocktails. That was like saying a bridesmaid's dress could be worn again as a party dress. It was one of those things that should work, but in reality was far from the truth. It would be a working party for Eric, although more relaxed than the Emmys and the party afterwards, and I knew we would both be on display.

I waited to hear the shower turn off and went down the hall to get dressed. Eric came into the room just as I sprayed perfume into my cleavage.

"Jesus, like I needed more of an invitation to put my face there."

I laughed as I put the bottle back on the dresser and began to pull on my shoes. "Well, you'll have to wait. I have on double sided tape so I'm not showing everyone the girls tonight," I said as I adjusted the drape of the neck.

He stepped up behind me and leaned over my shoulder to look down my chest. His hands slid up my hips. "By all means, keep the girls covered."

I hadn't put on lipstick yet, knowing that it would be kissed off before we arrived at the Pacific Design Center, so I leaned back on Eric's chest, and his lips found mine. His hands made their way under my dress and he bit lightly on my lip when he discovered I really wasn't wearing underwear. I stepped back with a sigh.

"Mmmm. We need to go."

He exhaled through his nose, loudly, and then he grinned and leaned forward to smell my perfume before taking his suit coat off the hanger, folding it over his arm.

"If you insist, lover."

The ride into town went by quickly. Eric asked me about the restaurant review I was working on for the Times and we spent the drive talking about it. We'd eaten at the Church and State bistro based on recommendations from a sound guy on Eric's movie. The name alone was enough to get me there, but the promise of chocolate hazelnut pot de crème for dessert had hooked Eric. It was a rich and satiny chocolate custard that, when made well, was sinful and heavenly at the same time.

I had done some research, and it had received fairly good reviews, with some negative ones mixed in. I had been excited to roll the dice and find out what Eric and I would experience. We tried the French onion soup and endive salad with goat cheese for starters, and then thebouillabaisseand steak with frites forentrées. We both really enjoyed our meals, although I'd had better bouillabaisse in Seattle, but the pièce de résistance was dessert. My crème brûlée was insanely good, and Eric's pot de crème was to die for. We joked that until I found a replacement emergency tiramusu restaurant, we might need to put Church and State on speed dial.

As we rode into Hollywood, we talked about which pictures I should use and what we each liked about the interior. Eric hadn't been entirely pleased with our waiter, but I laughed, saying he was very French in the way he ignored us while we ate. Eric laughed and called bullshit because the guy was clearly a native Californian and was probably a starving artist or college student.

The limo pulled up to the PDC and the driver came around to let us out. Eric took my arm, and we walked towards the building. He told me that the fountain plaza would be where the HBO party was after the Emmys, explaining that the party would span the plaza. It was sweet because he didn't know anything else about the party really, and I had already known where it would be.

I smiled, and told him that they used the same event planner every year, Billy Butchkavitz, and for Sunday's party he had designed aTarzan and Jane meets Palm Beach jungle theme, and that Wolfgang Puck was catering. Eric laughed, saying that we would be sick of Wolfgang Puck by the end of the weekend since he was catering tonight's party as well.

Eric was surprised that I knew so much about the party, but I had always been a fan of the Emmys, and the HBO after-party was always awesome. The event was considered exclusive and tickets were sought after, which made me giggle when I thought about it because close to two-thousand people attended each year.

Eric had warned me that tonight's parties might be similar to the premiere, in that he would have to be working whenever someone needed him, but it wouldn't be nearly as chaotic as the HBO party _after_ the Emmys. When we walked through the doors, the party seemed more casual than the premiere had been, but we had barely entered Wolfgang Puck's Spectra when I heard someone call Eric's name. I squeezed his hand before he turned and walked towards the voice. I made a beeline for the bar and ordered a club soda; I had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

Pam had given me a crash course in the people that I should be on the look out for, and I saw studio executives, as well as producers and directors, shaking hands with Eric. He smiled and nodded, even threw back his head in laughter at times, but every now and then he would catch my eye, letting me know he would much rather be somewhere else, preferably with just me. Holly found me near the bar and we were both glad to have someone to visit with while our men were working the crowd. I had to admit that it was an interesting contrast, Eric more often than not greeted by the Hollywood elite, while Liam sought them out.

One by one, the nominees stood to get an official photo taken with their certificate. The _Bloodlust_ cast stood together, with John Shaffner, the Chairman and CEO of the Academy Television Arts and Sciences. They joked and smiled while they lined up for the the photographer. Everyone was clearly excited about their nomination. Holly and I watched from the bar, and the guys joined us as the group broke up.

The four of us chatted quietly and then made our way towards the food. There were canap_é_s and bite sized treats, as well as Chinese chicken salad and miso-glazed salmon. Despite Eric and my jokes earlier, I was nowhere near sick of the interesting, sometimes mind-bending, celebrity-style cuisine these parties exposed me to.

Eventually, we made our way outside where a jazz band played and people had begun dancing. Eric seemed to be done schmoozing, aside from a few quick conversations here and there. We danced and laughed with other nominees, and I was surprised that the remainder of the night flew by.

Before I knew it, I was stretched across the back seat of the limo beneath Eric as his long fingers pushed my dress up to my waist. His mouth found mine as he slid one hand between my legs. His lips moved to my neck, and he sighed.

"I couldn't wait to get out of there so I could touch you."

"I'm all yours."

I tugged at his shirt, untucking it from his pants and slid my hands along the warm skin of his back. There was no where on Earth I would have rather been.

His lips found mine again, and we kissed while my hands roamed over his body as he stroked my center. I nibbled at his bottom lip and tried to move my hands between us, grabbing at his waistband.

He pulled back and shook his head no, his eyes dark with desire.

"What?"

"I have plans," he said before he began to slide down my body.

I moaned as his hands caressed my thighs, spreading my legs as he settled between them.

"I think I like this plan." I hadn't meant to say it out loud, but apparently I did because he chuckled and brought his eyes back up to mine.

"I'm sure you will."

He leaned forward, kissing my stomach. He murmured something I couldn't hear, but I felt his lips move against my skin. Then his hands were between my legs, and his thumbs spread my folds before I felt his warm mouth on my already damp flesh. He slowly and precisely, worshiped me with his tongue until I was arching of the seat.

"Eric, please." I was whimpering, practically begging for release.

He continued working me with his mouth and added his fingers, pumping them in and out, as I felt the familiar warming and tightening begin. His continued strokes took me over the edge and the orgasm spread through me, leaving me panting.

As I caught my breath, he kissed his way back up my body, finally bringing his lips to mine.

"Mmmm," I sighed into the kiss, reaching for his waistband again when I heard him chuckle.

"You'll have to wait, Sookie. We're practically home."

I ignored him and grabbed at his belt buckle, groaning as I felt the limo slow and stop for a moment.

"Where are we?"

"The stop sign at the bottom of the hill," he laughed.

I closed my eyes in frustration. We were minutes from the house, and what I wanted to do with him was going to take much longer than that.

"Tell him to drive faster," I laughed. I wanted to get home and have my way with him as soon as possible.

"We're almost there, lover. And the night is still young."

I wasn't sure if that was a sexy threat or a dirty promise, but we were certainly on the same page with our plans for the rest of the night.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

**A/N:**

Thanks so much for reading! You know how much I love to hear from you!

OH - lots of contests going on this fall... I'm judging the Kiss the Cook contest and am an organizer of the A New Chapter contest for new authors. I'm thinking about entering I Write the Songs or Eric's First Blood! Maybe I'll do both! Who knows! Check out the Sookieverse Blog for more information about all of the contests!

http:/www(dot)thesookieverse(dot)com/2010/08/svm-fanfiction-contests-its-gonna-be(dot)html

If you want to know if Sookie's dress is mocha or beige - look here and decide for yourself.

http:/yfrog(dot)com/g0nomineepartydresssj

Church and State Bistro http:/www(dot)churchandstatebistro(dot)com/#


	29. Red Carpet

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 29: Red Carpet **

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

Okay, I'm just going to say it. We've been dancing around it for a few chapters here, but **TVgirl** is a goddess. That is all. I cannot explain how amazingly cool she has been answering all of my crazy questions and correcting things I assumed (you know how that goes) that I already knew. She pre-read and beta'd and then, to top it all off, she made me a freakin' diagram of the HBO party cuz I just didn't get it. I'm not kidding - look: http:/img69(dot)imageshack(dot)us/img69/8275/pdcdiagram2(dot)png

It doesn't feel like enough to just say thanks, but it's all I've got. So, thanks Nic, for everything. You are the skarskissin' best!

Thanks to **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose **as always for betaing. They are my crazy, fantastic, wondertriplet girls. Any mistakes you see left in this bad boy are mine.

Thanks to the twittergirls for helping me figure out who Sookie would want to meet at the Emmys! GREAT ideas!

**00oo00oo00oo00**

**EPOV**

The limo actually seemed crowded with Pam and Alcide riding along with Sookie and me. Maybe it was because all I could think about was Sookie; and the way she'd been stretched out on the seat of a limo only a few nights before. She and I sat along the back seat of the car, my arm around her shoulder. I was mindlessly making patterns on her upper arm with my fingers, just needing to touch her.

"Sookie, you look lovely. Black is a good color for you, well, for everyone." Pam's voice dripped insincerity.

"Thanks, Pam," Sookie said as she rolled her eyes. "Black looks lovely on you, as well. It matches your cold, dead heart."

I looked at them with wide eyes and Alcide almost spit out some of the bottled water he was sipping.

"Midwest milkmaid," Pam deadpanned.

"Bitch," Sookie said, the corner of her mouth lifting.

"Yes, I am," Pam agreed in all seriousness, then she laughed. "But I'm just preparing you for the fangirls."

I sighed, and Sookie giggled as she turned to kiss my cheek gently. She pulled back and wiped away the traces of her lipstick with her fingers.

"We're just teasing, Eric," Sookie smiled.

"Get over it," Pam said as she hit me on the knee with her evening bag.

"Don't fucking gang up on me!" I laughed.

The car slowed down as we entered the limo traffic approaching the Nokia Theater. Sookie sat forward, trying to look around me to watch the cars, grinning from ear to ear.

"You can't see anyone. They all have tinted windows," I chuckled.

"I'll see them soon enough!" She sounded giddy, triumphant even.

Her excitement was rejuvenating me. I'd become a little desensitized to some of the Hollywood glitz and glamour before I met her. I smiled and squeezed her shoulder, pulling her tighter against me. The car inched up slowly, and Sookie's knee began to bounce faster and faster the closer we got.

"Is she going to be alright?" Pam asked, arching a brow at me.

"I'm right here. I'll be fine, Pam. This is just exciting for me."

"Do not embarrass me or Eric tonight with any of this Midwestern foolishness."

"Can I embarrass Alcide?"

"By all means."

"Hey! That's just mean," Alcide whined, and I laughed.

The four of us were a good mix, and I was glad that Sookie had taken to Pam and Alcide. They were both a little obnoxious on the surface, but they were damn good at their jobs, and I felt lucky to have them on my side.

The vehicle came to a stop, and someone opened the door for us. I stepped out and reached back inside for Sookie. She stood gracefully, and although I'm sure we were caught on a television camera somewhere, we had a few seconds to breathe before we were bombarded with photographers, shouting fans, and reporters.

Pam and Alcide got out of the car and stood beside us. I heard Pam giving Alcide instructions, and he was more than happy to leave.

"Enjoy the sunshine, suckers. I'll be inside in the air-conditioning," he joked as he walked away.

I shook my head as Pam called after him, "You're working. Behave."

I put my arm around Sookie and glanced down at her. "Ready?"

She nodded, and we began moving down the red carpet with Pam walking behind us. It was loud as fans and reporters alike were screaming at us to look at them or come over for a picture. The fans and reporters were on opposite sides of the carpet, and after being greeted by Nate Berkus, I squeezed Sookie's hand and stepped away from her to say hello to some fans. I posed for pictures, signed some autographs, and shook hands for a few minutes before moving back across the carpet to the celebrity side. There were reporters stationed along the walk way, with tents, or awnings set up for the entertainment shows, like Extra and Access Hollywood, as well as the NBC Red Carpet Show. Sookie stood proudly at my side or waited patiently with Pam each time we stopped.

I had done several interviews already when I saw Nancy O'Dell ahead of me. I sighed, and approached her with trepidation. It wasn't that I was angry with her, she was only doing her job, but I was anxious to see if she tried to shock me again. She didn't even work for Access Hollywood anymore, which I hadn't realized until after the premiere. Pam told me later that Nancy had retired and was a contributing reporter for the Today Show and Dateline NBC. At any rate, she was a standard on the red carpet, and I was going to grin and bear it.

"Nancy." I smiled and nodded. I felt Pam step closer to me than she had for the other interviews. Nancy felt her presence as well.

"Eric." She said my name slowly, trying to be charming, but it came off sickeningly sweet. "Great to see you again. Do you think _Bloodlust _will win tonight?"

Her ridiculous question was almost worse than if she'd asked something obnoxious. Did she think I was going to say no?

"I certainly hope we win tonight, but all of the shows we're nominated with are good too, so it's any one's guess."

She continued to smile at me the entire time I spoke, but her eyes were far away, like she was plotting her next question while I answered her. I wondered if she'd even listened to me at all.

"What are your plans when you finish _Western Sky_? Do you have anything else lined up?"

"I do. A project called _True Illusions_. It's a sort of love triangle. There's a fairly innocent young woman, and I play one of her suitors. There will be some psychological influence going on, and a whole lot of lying and manipulating. It'll be hard to tell who the good guy is and who the bad guy is sometimes."

"Which one are you?"

I chuckled. "I can't tell you that."

She laughed, and it sounded fake even to me. "Well, it sounds interesting. We'll have to keep an eye out for it."

"Great," I said, trying to sound like I really cared what she thought. Thankfully, I felt Pam grab my elbow.

"Have a good night, Nancy. We need to move on." At least she didn't tell her that I needed to talk to real reporters like she did last time.

I stepped away and walked only a few steps before I encountered another television camera. I repeated the process several more times, sometimes only being asked about _Bloodlust _and other times talking about my new projects as well. Everyone smiled at Sookie but only Giuliana Rancic from _E! _had the balls to invite her to join us.

"Ohmygosh! Sookie come here!" Giuliana practically squealed. "Who are you wearing?"

"Oh!" Sookie's eyes lit up. "Roberto Rodriguez. Isn't it great?"

"It's lovely. And your pearls? They're the perfect shade of grey!"

"I know, aren't they? They were my grandmother's!"

"Awww. That's so sweet! Who do you want to meet tonight?"

For a second I felt like I wasn't even there, and it made me grin, because I knew exactly how Sookie felt when she stood by waiting for me.

"Um. Maybe Tom Colicchio from Top Chef, or Ed O'Neil; I grew up watching him on Married with Children! Ohmygosh! And Neil Patrick Harris! I'd love to meet him!"

"Those are all men's names," Giuliana giggled and then she looked at me. "Are you up for the competition?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I'm good. I think I could take them."

We all laughed, and Giuliana asked me a couple of questions about the coming season of _Bloodlust_ before Pam gently directed us to move on again. Sookie was beyond thrilled.

"Oh my god! I was totally just interviewed on the red carpet!"

I heard Pam snort beside me. "Yeah, you were," I chuckled, grinning down at her.

We had reached to entrance to the theater finally; Pam showed our passes and we went in through the VIP doors. The bar closed at 4 p.m. and we had about forty minutes, so I took Sookie's hand and got in line for drinks. Her eyes were as big as saucers as we stood side by side with some big name celebrities. Glenn Close smiled down at her, and I was afraid she was going to pass out, but she held it together.

It seemed like only minutes later when they were closing the bar and herding us into the theater. Sookie and I were seated near the front with all of the other nominees and presenters. We settled in, quietly identifying celebrities in the theater and critiquing their attire.

Mostly it was Sookie, saying things like, "Oh, what do you think of that?" or "That dress is amazing." My favorite though, was when she whispered, "Holy shitballs! That chick's boobs are huge!"

Eva La Rue was standing behind us, who Sookie later told me was on CSI: Miami. She covered her mouth for a moment to stifle her laughter. Then her eyes sparkled as she smiled at Sookie. "Seriously. And the neckline on that dress isn't helping!"

They both giggled, and I was relieved that she wasn't offended, but really, the woman in question did have huge breasts that were practically spilling out of her light purple dress. Shortly after that it was time for the program to begin. We sat down, and Sookie took my hand in hers, rubbing circles with her thumb the way I usually did.

Jimmy Fallon started the night out with a rendition of Springsteen's Born to Run. His jokes throughout the night included a fair amount of audience participation that sometimes fell flat, but the crowd at the Emmys was tough, so I had to give him credit for even trying. I didn't have to wait for too long for Fallon to make a joke about Sophie Anne. Less than thirty minutes into the show, he turned her attack on me into a joke.

"Acting is harder than anyone outside the industry realizes. You never know when your coworkers are going to stab you in the back, or bite you in the neck, for that matter."

He looked towards me and smirked, then shrugged his shoulders and continued his short monologue. I simply laughed along with everyone else and smiled back at him and at the cameras that I knew were trained on me. Sookie did the same and I was proud of her. It was one thing for me to get razzed over Sophie Anne's insanity, but I hated that Sookie had to deal with it as well. Off and on I was aware of the camera zooming in on Sookie or me, but there was nothing else specifically targeted at us.

Throughout the show we were able to stand and stretch when there were commercial breaks. During those times, guests were allowed to leave the theater for the restroom, but if you didn't make it back inside before the commercial ended, you were locked out until the next break. Sookie and I didn't want to risk it, so we stayed put. She spent some of those breaks chatting with Eva, apparently she had gotten married in June, and other times she and I talked about the categories coming up or the winners that had been announced.

Eventually it was time for the award for Best Drama to be announced. Sookie laced her fingers through mine and gave my hand a squeeze as they listed the nominees. The winner was read, and although I smiled and clapped, my heart had sunk when they read the name Mad Men from AMC. This was their second year in a row to take the award. I supposed that it was the best way to lose, to the reigning winner, but I was disappointed none the less.

At the next commercial break, Sookie turned and gave me a shy smile. "I'm sorry, Eric. I know you were hoping to be up there with your cast."

I gave her a lopsided smile and shrugged. "We were a long shot."

"Twelve to one odds this morning when I looked."

"What?"

"I Googled it."

"You Googled the odds of _Bloodlust _winning an Emmy?" She hesitated, then nodded, and I burst out laughing. "Do you even understand what that means?"

She giggled. "I Googled that too. It means if you won, and I had bet on you, if there was betting on the Emmys. Is there? I don't even know," she rambled, then regained her focus. "Anyway, if I won they'd give me twelve dollars for every dollar I bet."

I grinned at her and shook my head. She was adorable. Whose girlfriend did shit like that? "You're crazy," I teased.

"Aw. You love me."

"I do," I chuckled and leaned over to give her a quick kiss. I heard Eva say something behind me about us being cute, and I couldn't help but smile.

When the show ended, we left the theater with a crowd of people to walk over to the Governor's Ball at the Convention Center. Pam and Alcide had gone straight to the HBO party and were sending the car back for us, so we headed over without waiting for them. We waited in a large mass outside. It was crowded but there was tight security; they checked every one's tickets at least twice before they were allowed in.

We mingled for a few minutes but quickly found our seats since everyone was hungry and ready for a cocktail. The dinner was mediocre, with lamb that was too rare for my taste and a disappointing cake. Duncan Hines had sponsored dessert for the event, but the cake was not good advertising for them. After a taste of it, Sookie put her fork down and looked at me with confusion in her eyes. Food and restaurants were her thing, and the dinner was almost distressing to her.

Quietly, she said, "Is it always like this?"

I tried to think of something to say, or an excuse to make, but I just shrugged and said, "No. The other two times I was here it was great."

"Oh, okay," she said with a nod.

"The HBO party will be much better," I tried to reassure her as I poured her some champagne. There wasn't enough time to get her a gin and tonic from the bar, and the look on her face said that he needed a drink. Stat.

We mingled again after dinner, sipping cocktails and chatting with some executives from the network and a few of my cast members before going to wait for the limo. There were representatives from the different networks directing you where to stand so you got picked up and taken to the correct party. I called the driver to be sure that he was on his way, and after a few minutes we were headed to the Pacific Design Center.

**SPOV**

We arrived at the PDC around 10:30 p.m. and had to check in before entering the HBO party. I even saw Bryan Cranston, who had just won an Emmy for lead actor in a drama stop there, so apparently everyone had to do it. After Eric checked in for us, we were directed to the left for more pictures and interviews on the floral carpet. I shook my head and let Eric go ahead.

He looked back at me, our arms stretching between us. "No?"

"Nah. Meet me inside."

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. This is your night. They want pictures of you. I'm going to grab a drink and try to find Holly."

"Sook, there are two thousand people in there."

"Oh!" I laughed, remembering . "How bout I meet you right inside?"

"Sounds good." He smiled and walked off towards the reporters who were lined up waiting. I saw Pam appear out of nowhere, she must have some kind of Eric radar, and I headed towards the party that covered the entire fountain area. It was massive.

Off to my right was a row of fancy portojohns on a trailer and a line of make-up stations sponsored by Laura Mercier and Oscar Blandi. I stepped over to a stylist that had an empty chair, and she freshened up my hair and make-up for me. The girl next to me excitedly told me that we would get a goodie bag of the products when we left the party. It was surreal. This didn't happen at parties in Chicago.

Feeling like a celebrity myself after the star treatment, I went though the entrance into the official party space. I was offered a bottle of Voss water or a vodka and lemonade. Since I'd already been drinking, I took the cocktail and wandered inside. To the right was an open area with unlabled tables that anyone could sit at and a dance floor. To my left was a larger, covered section that was actually the main area of the party. There were tables with placards for all of the HBO shows, some production companies, and executives with several buffets and bars along the walls. It was all decorated in the jungle-meets-Palm Beach theme I had told Eric about earlier. There were palm trees surrounded by banquettes and bamboo style poles lining the roof of the tent. The table cloths and carpet were patterned with palm fronds and jungle leaves and there were tall white, wicker baskets lining the walls. The lighting and the canopy created a feel of night time in the jungle. It was surreal, but beautiful. I could see people waiting for drinks at bars across the room and a raised area with more tables and what looked like small fire pits that you could sit near. I thought that later, I might have to sit over there with Eric.

I was so distracted taking in the decor and the people, I didn't even notice that Eric had come up behind me until he startled me by putting his hands on my waist. I laughed and Pam rolled her eyes at me.

"I need a cocktail. Follow me." Pam walked away, expecting us to follow.

Eric shook his head. "Shall we?" he laughed.

I smiled and nodded. It seemed that the work part of the night was over for Eric, and I was looking forward to spending time with him. We followed Pam through the maze of tables and people to the back of the room. I glanced at the food longingly as we walked by; Wolfgang Puck had catered again. I knew it was better than what we'd eaten earlier, but I kept following Pam and Eric to the _Bloodlust_ tables.

We joined Alcide, who carried on about meeting one of the Kardashian's and I rolled my eyes. From everything Eric had told me, he would only get louder as he drank more alcohol. I saw Holly out of the corner of my eye and stepped aside to say hello. I'm not sure how long we talked, but eventually Eric and Liam brought us back drinks from the bar. The whole night had some how shifted from this really formal awards event to a drunken prom with our friends. The big winners, as well as some of the losers, cutting loose and getting drunk. People were sneaking cigarettes from each other and from fans. It was clear that there were few 'only-when-I-drink' smokers amongst the celebrities. It was nice to see that something that was similar to the parties I'd been to back at home.

Some people danced, but the music was kind of a strange jungle beat with a lot of drums, so mostly people clustered around and talked. I was friendly with most of the _Bloodlust _cast from the set and the premiere party, so I felt much more relaxed than I had at the premiere when Eric got side tracked or pulled off for a picture with someone. The casts of different shows all seemed to congregate in groups, and it was evident throughout the night how well all of Eric's coworkers got along. At any given time there was a group of cast members, their spouses or significant others, and fans mixed together drinking and talking. People came and went from the groups and others mixed in; it was all very laid back, yet very loud and fun.

I made it through the night without having Liam corner me to do tequila shots, but I saw Eric with him at the bar at one point and knew that he'd gotten suckered into it. They came back over to the group laughing and looking definitely drunk.

I raised an eyebrow at Eric, and then we both started laughing. I took his hand and led him over to the area with the little fire pits. He sat down, and I curled right into his lap. He sighed in my ear and squeezed my waist.

"This is nice."

"It is. I needed you to myself for a minute."

"Well, you can always have that. However, you do realize there are still like a thousand people here, right?"

"I do. It's kind of hard to miss." I laughed. "But not here. Here it's just you and me."

"And Alcide making out with some girl over there." He angled his head.

"What?" I turned to look, and sure enough Alcide was in the corner shoving his tongue down some girls throat. "Eew. That ruins it!"

Eric chuckled and then gently put his hands on my face, turning me back towards him. "I think he has the right idea," he whispered before his lips touched mine.

We kissed, and while it was not chaste, I was quite aware of the porn show going on in the corner and had no desire to be the second act. Eric however, was trying to move me around so I would straddle him on the bench we were sitting on. I pulled back and saw confusion in Eric's lust and alcohol clouded eyes.

I laughed quietly. "Go tell that animal we're going home, and we can finish this later."

He shook his head slightly, clearing his thoughts, and I had to smile. He shifted in the seat to grab his phone from his pocket, and we both groaned as I bumped against his obvious arousal. He put one hand in my hair and pulled me forward for a quick, but forceful kiss before operating his phone with the other hand. He had to call Alcide three times before he answered, which was actually pretty good since Eric interrupted him with the woman's leg hitched up on his hip and his hand on her breast.

"Get your tongue out of her mouth and call for the car."

Alcide was close enough and loud enough that I could hear him without the phone. "You suck. Give me ten minutes."

"No. Look over her shoulder, dumb ass."

"Fuck!" Alcide shouted, then he lowered his voice, and I couldn' t hear the rest of what he said.

"Thanks. You're an asshole, too. You're just lucky Sookie likes you, or I'd get rid of you."

By then Alcide had moved over near us and he coughed, saying, "Bullshit." He knew Eric wouldn't get rid of him. He stood with his arm around the woman he'd been kissing and gave Eric a dirty look. "Why must you ruin my life?"

"I'm your boss, not your father, Alcide. We're ready to go, so please call for the car."

He turned to me and whined, "Sookie, why is he talking non-sense?"

I grabbed Eric's wrist and looked at his watch. "Because it's twelve-thirty, he's a little drunk, and I just told him he'd get laid when we got home."

I felt Eric laughing behind me. Alcide blinked at me a couple of times and then said, "Oh, well, that explains it."

He pulled out his phone and called for the limo like the last few minutes had never happened.

As he walked away, I heard Alcide tell the woman, "Sorry, my man's going to get laid. Why don't you program your number into my phone?"

"Oh shit," I giggled. "Maybe I shouldn't have told him that." I stood and reached down to help Eric.

He took my hand and stood, unfolding his long frame from the low bench, then he put his hand on my hip and pulled my back against his chest.

Leaning down, he whispered in my ear, "No, you shouldn't have told him, but since you did, I'm going to hold you to it."

I leaned back and reached behind him, running my hand over his ass. "I don't see a problem with that."

00oo00oo00

**A/N:**

I hope you enjoyed their trip to the Emmys and the snippet of Pam and Alcide. They cracked me up in this chapter. Eric and Sookie both have some plans to make, so check back next week to see what they are up to! Thanks again for reading and reviewing!

Again, I cannot thank **TVgirl** enough for all she's helped me with. She is the bee's knees.

Oh – and they really do handicap the Emmys. Who knew? LOL

http:/www(dot)nbclosangeles(dot)com/blogs/popcornbiz/The-2010-Emmys-Handicapping-Best-Drama-101628808(dot)html


	30. Making Plans

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 30: Making Plans**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

Umm...Bites lip. I really, honestly, _don't _have a problem with Nancy O'Dell, you guys. She is an innocent victim of my snark. Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks as always to my betas **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose**. I think I've said this before, but you two - complete me. Thanks sooo much for taking the time to do this, and for occasionally smacking me for my stupidity.

OH - and I need to put my pimp hat on. The **Kiss a Cook **contest is winding down, but you still have until 9/27/10 to enter! Please do! I'd love to read your stuff as a judge! http:/www(dot)fanfiction(d0t)net/u/2434344/KissACookContest

For you readers who've been thinking you'd like to try your hand at this writing thing - there's the **New Chapter** contest that I'm hosting with some of the SVM girls. You get to make the SVM peeps - in any combination - start a new chapter with a baby! http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2507718/A_New_Chapter_Contest You have until November 12, 2010! So get writing!

00oo00oo00oo00

**SPOV**

The Emmys were over and life was becoming routine for Eric and me. I had come to think of a few California places as mine; my day spa, my yoga studio, my bank, and my Starbucks. There were even places that I considered ours; our grocery store, our pharmacy, our car dealership. Well it was Eric's car dealership, but since I was driving the SUV, I was calling it ours. I was enjoying exploring Los Angeles for my blog and for the paper, and I was getting used to being Eric's live-in girlfriend. He spent time with me and really listened to me when I talked. He remembered what I said and knew what I liked, and to top it off, he actually cared what I thought. It was sad to think that I had been practically anonymous to Bill for years, and that I had either not really noticed or had ceased to care; I wasn't sure any more.

Since I was embracing California as my home, I decided to treat the fall like I would if I was living back in Michigan. That meant inviting Sam, Daph, Holly and Liam over to watch college football on Saturdays and taking a long nap during the NFL game on Sundays. It also meant planning some sort of end of summer party. I was still trying to figure out if there actually were seasons in Los Angeles, but I wasn't going to embarrass myself by asking anyone, I would just have to live through a year to learn the way the climate changed, or didn't.

I loved fall, and I was going to miss Halloween in Saugatuck, so I decided to focus my energy on enjoying the holiday where I was. I knew I wanted to have a party, and Halloween was the perfect excuse. Eric hadn't done much entertaining at the house, so it was a tradition that we could start together, and that made me even more excited about it.

I had a lot to do to get the party together. I was a firm believer that if you did something, you did it all the way. Eric had shown me his shoe box of fall decorations, and I did my best not to groan out loud. I had called Amelia ten minutes later, describing where I knew the fall and Halloween decoration boxes were stored in the crawlspace at the cottage. I called her back when I decided to throw the party, asking her to send even more.

"Okay, what about the serving dishes? Are those in the buffet?"

"I think most of them are in the boxes, Meels. But you can check. Just bubble-wrap everything to high heaven and ship it out. I'll go through it when it gets here."

"Alright, well if there's anything that I'm really worried about, I'll just bring it with me."

"What?"

"I'll bring it with me. Turn on your hearing aid."

"Amelia," I said with a pause. I was hesitant to believe my ears and hope she meant it. "I would love for you to come, but I can't ask you to do that. I mean, the whole reason I'm doing this is to keep busy so I don't miss being home and going to the parade. I don't want you to miss it too!"

"Sookie, it's a parade, that's nothing compared to your housewarming. It's not a big deal. Who's catering your party?"

Housewarming? Was that what this was? I supposed it was, hidden behind my neurotic attempt to ward off homesickness.

"Catering? Why would you ask that? I'm making the food myself."

"Exactly. I'm coming to help."

"Meelz."

"Listen, as long as Eric promises to show Tray the half naked girls at Venice beach, we'll be all good."

I laughed. "You'd bring Tray? That would be so fun! I'm sure Eric will show him around. I love you, Meelz."

"I know, Sook. I love you, too. Now, what's the menu?"

We talked for another half hour, discussing decorations and costumes, as well as food. She was going to start checking airfare and let me know when they would arrive.

I couldn't wait to tell Eric they would be coming to the party. I knew it was supposed to be about making new traditions in California with our friends, but I was thrilled that Amelia and Tray were coming to share it with us; to sort of blend our friends from here and there. However, I would have to talk to Eric about storing some of our things that cluttered the guest room.

A couple hours later, he came home from the gym looking a little worse for wear.

"What's up, cowboy?" I was really enjoying getting to call him that while he filmed _Western Sky._

"I did something to my back."

"Oh, no. Well, come on then," I said, lacing my fingers and then turning my hands inside out to stretch them. "Come on over. Let me give you a rub."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Sookie, my back really hurts."

I raised my brow back. "When I say the word sunscreen, what do you think of?"

"Oh fuck," he groaned. "I'm lying down." Slowly, he made his way towards the couch.

"Floor," I said, pointing. "Trust me. And take your shirt off."

He grumbled something under his breath but pulled his shirt over his head with another groan before lowering his body to the floor in increments. First he went to his knees, then to push up position, and finally all the way down.

I handed him a pillow and straddled his back, asking him where it hurt before settling myself onto his waist. He tried to point to his left shoulder, telling me that his back and neck hurt when he turned his head. I certainly wasn't a professional, but I'd given my share of massages. I started with his lower back, hoping to relax him before touching the sensitive area higher up.

When I made it to the knot in his shoulder, he groaned and mumbled, "Oh, god, right there. Harder. Fuck, you've got good hands."

I giggled. "That sounds like a porno."

"I wouldn't know," he joked.

"Ha!" I slapped his shoulder. "Is it helping?"

"Yes, don't stop."

We both laughed, and I used more pressure trying to work out the tension in his muscles. I moved my attention to one of his arms, starting at his bicep and working down to his fingers and then switched to his other arm. He was still making little moans of pleasure as I worked, but his commentary had all but stopped. After another pass at the muscles in his shoulders, I leaned forward, letting my breasts rub against his back.

"Are you awake?"

"I'm dead," he mumbled. "You killed me."

"You're not dead if you're talking. Roll over," I laughed. I sat up on my knees to give him room to move while I pulled my shirt over my head and removed my bra.

"Oh, shit. _Now_ I'm dead," he said when he rolled over and caught sight of my naked breasts.

"But what a way to die," I teased.

He laughed and sat up, cupping my breasts and burying his face in my neck, kissing a path to my mouth. Then we were kissing in earnest, and I was running my hands over the smooth skin of his back while his hands tugged at my hair. Soon we were panting and grinning at each other, eye to eye. His hands made their way to my shorts, and he was trying to push them down my hips.

I shook my head and stood, reaching for his hand. "We just fixed your back. Let's go to the bedroom."

He laughed. "Good plan, Stackhouse."

We stopped twice in the hallway for him to kiss me and press me against the wall, grinding against me, but we finally made it to the bedroom. We stretched out on the bed, and I noticed pain flash across Eric's face as he leaned over to kiss me. I pushed him back, taking control and attempting to prevent him from further injuring himself. I slid my hands down his chest with a wicked grin, and then slipped his shorts off. Taking his length in my hands, I stroked him, knowing exactly what he liked.

I teased him with my mouth, kissing his thigh and leaning close so he felt my breath on his erection as I moved my hand. He bit his lip and arched his back, his eyes boring into mine. I gave him a long lick and listened to him growl before taking him into my mouth. I loved the way he reacted when I went down on him; the sounds he made and his hands in my hair were sexy as hell and made me ache for him. After a few minutes I decided that I was too turned on to wait for his recovery time and with a final lick, abandoned the efforts with my mouth.

"What?"

He looked confused; clearly disappointed I had stopped what I was doing. I smiled, but continued to move up his body, kissing his chest before finding his lips. I rocked my hips, rubbing myself along his erection, and making us both moan.

"Stop teasing me," Eric whispered into my neck.

"Mmm. Like this?" I shifted us and began to slide myself down on him.

"Fuck. Yeah. Like that," he rasped.

I laughed, arching my back and putting my hands on his thighs behind me. We began a practiced dance, rocking and shifting, bouncing and thrusting. There was something to be said for knowing your partner that was for sure. In our relatively short time together, Eric and I had become like a well oiled machine, a well oiled orgasmic engine. The best part was that it never got boring; we were spontaneous and adventurous, and it was nothing like I'd ever had with anyone before.

"Eric," I gasped as he pinched my nipples, bringing me to the edge of my orgasm. "I'm so close."

He moved one hand between us, touching just the right spot to trigger my release. He continued to rub me as he thrust his hips up, pulling me down hard against him with his other hand, and then his fingers dug into my hip as he came with a groan.

We were sweaty and spent, breathing like we'd run a marathon as we lay tangled together. After a few minutes, Eric sat up on his elbow to look down at me, but winced as he put weight on his arm.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I may need a real massage tomorrow. No offense."

"None taken." I smiled, reaching up to brush some hair off his forehead. "I talked to Amelia today."

"And..."

"And she's coming out to help me get ready for the Halloween party."

"Oh-kay."

I laughed. "We're having a Halloween party, and she and Tray are coming out for it. You're supposed to take Tray to Venice Beach, or a strip club, so he can see bikini clad women."

"I vote for Venice Beach."

"Me, too," I interrupted with a laugh.

"But let's back up. I didn't know about this Halloween party, so how are _we_ hosting it?" He raised an eyebrow, but he was smiling.

"Well, remember I wanted us to have a barbecue? This is it. I need you to help me make a guest list, and you and Tray will be in charge of grilling the main course. What else do you need to know?"

He laughed. "Sook, I realize that you're used to Bill not lifting a damn finger, but what else can I do to help?"

I shrugged. "We'll have to clean the house and decorate. Meelz and I are going to do the food. I guess you could help with some of that."

"I will. Are you sending paper invitations, or is this an email thing?"

"How many parties have you thrown in the past, Mr. Northman?"

"Ha ha. Have you met my mother? She's the hostess with the mostest, aside from you I'm guessing."

I laughed. "I can totally see that. I might do it on Facebook, but we'll probably send paper invitations, too. If you tell me who to invite and give me your address book, I can do that."

He cleared his throat and raised his eyes to mine. Quietly, he asked, "Do you need money? We haven't really talked about our finances."

I hadn't really thought about it, but some of the party things would end up on my credit card. I wasn't working full time, and living rent-free with him had helped me not to dip into any of my savings. I bit my lip. "I guess so. I can give you a list of things to buy or something."

"I can add you to one of my cards or just pay your credit card bill."

I wrinkled my nose. "That's weird."

"No, that's living with someone who can afford to take care of you. Wait, let me rephrase, someone who wants to take care of you. Team effort, remember?"

"Yeah," I laughed. "I'll just give you my bill. You might have to ask me for it."

He laughed. "I'm sure I will. I love you, Sookie."

"I love you, too."

He sighed and climbed out of bed. "And now, I'm going to take a shower and let the hot water pound on my shoulder."

I smiled after him, having one of those moments where I was amazed at how different my life was now than it had been a year ago, well, two years ago. When I was married to Bill, planning a party consisted of me doing all of the work, and him giving me a list of all the who's who of Chicago that he wanted to be seen with. There was no talk of helping with the food or invitations, and certainly no discussion about him helping with finances. He put money into our shared account and I budgeted accordingly. It would have been frowned upon for me to even consider asking for more money for what Bill called one of my 'silly little get togethers.'

I stretched, blissed out from the sex and from the man that Eric was in general, and closed my eyes for an afternoon nap.

**EPOV**

Sookie would be busy planning a party while I was planning my own surprise. Well, I hoped it wasn't too much of a surprise for her. I had called Chris to invite him down and let him in on everything. My parents would come for the Halloween party just because we asked them to, and Sven and Rachel would come because I was paying for their flight, but Chris? He would question everything. He would want to know why we were inviting everyone out for a Halloween party. He would tell me he had plans and ask why he couldn't he come out some other weekend. It was just easier to let him in on everything from the get go, and he was thrilled.

"Where are you going ring shopping?"

"I'll go to Tiffany's. Sookie has a thing about Audrey Hepburn. I'll be lucky if she doesn't pass out when she sees the blue box."

"What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to keep everyone busy until the party actually starts. I'm booking you all at Casa del Mar in Santa Monica , so go to the pool. Or maybe the beach or lunch or something. I'm not telling Sven, and I don't want mom and dad here when I actually pop the question."

"Ah, okay. One question, can I bring Zaneta?"

"Shit. Yeah. Of course. That will keep mom busy."

"That's not why I'm bringing her."

"Oh, yeah. I know that. I just meant. Shit. Sorry. This is freaking me out."

"I'll say." He laughed. "Don't propose if you're not ready, Eric."

"I am!" I exhaled. "It's the rest of it that's going to stress me out."

"Then don't do it at the party."

"No. It's perfect. She's pretending like she's not homesick over this crazy Halloween parade back in Saugatuck so she's throwing a party to make herself feel better. She says she's starting new traditions. I want this Halloween to be special for her."

"Well, a ring from Tiffany's will make it special," he laughed.

"Yeah, it will. Alright. As long as you're cool with the plan."

"As far as I know, the plan is keep Sven in the dark so he doesn't give away any secrets, and keep mom out of your hair."

"Exactly."

"Sounds good. I'll see you in next month. Call me when you're hyperventilating in Tiffany's."

"I'm taking Sam."

"Oh good, he'll bring a paper bag for you to breathe in."

"You're not helping."

"Love you, bro."

"Later."

I visited Sam at home one afternoon when we finished shooting early for _Western Sky_ and told him that I wanted him to come with me to look at engagement rings. He was excited for me, well, us, but promised not to tell Daphne when I asked him to keep quiet. I didn't think she would say anything, but I didn't want a lot of people to know before Sookie did.

As we shared a beer, Sam and I talked about the best way to get in to Tiffany's without a paparazzi fiasco. He eventually he told me to enlist Pam's help and have Tiffany's bring the rings to me. On top of that, he suggested having Pam get a list from Sookie of her sizes, including her ring size, for the swag that people liked to give to me.

"You're a genius, Merlotte."

"Nope, I'm married man. I've learned to be sneaky."

I laughed. "What does that mean?"

"It means women have really good memories, and they pay attention to details. If you ask her about her ring size, she'll be on the look out for a ring for the next six months. So you have to find ways around asking what you really want to know, or get someone else to ask when you're gift planning. Take it from me, lesson learned. Every gift I got Daph for the first few years, she was totally expecting. Now it's like a game."

"That's really kind of crazy, Sam."

"You live with a woman now, haven't you noticed that there are a lot of things that are crazy about that?" He shook his head and smiled. "They're nothing like us, man. Just go with it."

I called Pam from Sam's trailer, and she took the news better than I expected.

"I'd say congratulations, but she hasn't accepted yet, so I'll hold off."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Pam."

"You know I'm just fucking with you. She'd be crazy to say no. Oh wait, she did get jacked in the head by that video camera a few months ago." She laughed. "No really. I'm sure she'll accept and start shooting babies out of her vagina in no time."

"Pam, you are disgusting. Anyway, I need your help."

"Eric, I can't help you make babies."

"Shut up!" I laughed, and Sam wondered what the hell we were talking about. "Listen, I don't want to just walk into Tiffany's to look at rings. It would be a circus."

There was quiet on the other end of the phone as she seemed to get serious. "You're right and I'm impressed as hell that you realized that. Your engagement will be newsworthy and they would chase your ass down for going into Tiffany's. What do you want? I can call over there and have them bring some things to your place to look at."

"Could you get him to come to the set? Sookie doesn't really have a fixed schedule, so it would be hard to do it at the house."

"Sure. Let me set something up and get back to you." She paused for a second. "Eric, you know I'm going to have to release it to the press, right?"

"I do. You've got time. I'm not going to do it until our Halloween party."

"Oh, yes. Sookie asked me to save the date."

I could almost see her making air-quotes, and I couldn't hold back my laughter. "Well, then you'll be there for the announcement, and you can release the hounds, I mean, send the press release."

"Funny. I'll let you know when I hear back from Tiffany's."

"Alright, thanks, Pam."

"Eric?" I heard her say just before I hit the end button.

"Yeah?"

"I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Pam."

I hung up and glanced at Sam, who was looking at me expectantly. "We have a plan."

"Mission accomplished."

He raised his beer at me in salute, and I returned the gesture. I smiled, feeling like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. My plan was in motion.

00oo00oo00oo00

**A/N:**

OH! They're making big plans! Most girls would die for a little blue box, add in the Northman factor? WOW. Maybe Sookie will be the one needing the paper bag! (*Tries to remember that for an upcoming chapter.*)

Thanks again for reading. Reviews are like cookies, or potato chips, or cats for that matter. You can never have enough!

Casa del Mar exists, here's the link. I'm sure I may talk more about it when Chris is keeping everyone distracted.

casa del mar - http:/www(dot)hotelcasadelmar(dot)com/


	31. All That Glitters Is Not Gold

**Title: Halo Effect****  
Chapter 31: All That Glitters Is Not Gold  
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:  
**OMG you guys, I have a cold that is kicking my ass. Sorry that I didn't to the review replies this week...You know how hard I've been trying.

Alright, once again, thanks to** TVgirlSVM f**or her Los Angeles knowledge. As always, **A Redhead Thing **and** Sapfirerose **amaze me. Someday, your awesomeness will takeover the world.

**00oo00oo00oo00**

**EPOV**  
Two weeks later, Pam had the sales executive from Tiffany's meet me the set of _Western Sky_. Since Pam was going to be there and we were doing it in my small trailer, Sam had bowed out, making me promise to call him afterwards. The whole thing was a picture in contrasts. I was decked out in nineteenth century cowboy gear, covered in grime and smelling like a horse, sitting across the table, in a camping trailer, from a woman in a Chanel suit and Christian Louboutin shoes; which I only knew because Pam had been coveting the dress and shoes since the woman stepped into my trailer. She introduced herself as Nan, and pulled a velvet lined tray from her brief case, setting it on the table, then she removed a tiered jewelry display with about twenty of the most beautiful, sparkling, and perfectly terrifying engagement rings I had ever seen.

I looked at the rings and glanced at Pam, who was leaning back on the couch, trying to act uninterested. I asked a few questions about the settings and the sizes of stones, and Nan went over a quick recap of the four C's; cut, color, clarity, carot-weight. I had done my research, but I was sure it was part of her job.

"Would you like to come over here, Pam? I think I know what ring Sookie would like, but as a woman who knows her I'd like to see what you think."

It was only half true, but I knew that it would go a long way with Pam to allow her to voice her opinion. Pam and I had an odd relationship. After our initial decision to work together, it became clear that we were suited to be friends as well, and for a long time, it had been easy to know which roll we needed to play, friend or manager/client. Things changed when Sookie moved to California. I was sure I was the only one that had noticed, and Pam would never admit it, but she seemed more cautious about the way she treated me. It was almost as if she had developed a filter for her mouth, a very loose filter, but one all the same. I couldn't put my finger on exactly why she had changed towards me, but I felt the need to let her know she was still one of the guys.

She came and sat next to me at the table, and in just a few seconds, I knew she had narrowed down the field.

"These entire two rows are no. That one is hell no," she said as she waggled her finger at a ring that was very beautiful, but not Sookie's style at all. "After that, it gets a little harder."

Nan seemed to know to hold her tongue as we continued to look over the selections. She looked on, occasionally smiling and nodding at the rings we examined. Pam and I each picked up several rings, looking at them from different angles and sliding them on our fingers. They looked ridiculous on my hand, barely fitting on the tip of my finger, while Pam was sliding them all of the way on, tilting her hand to watch them sparkle and shine.

"Is there one that stands out to you?" I asked Pam quietly.

"The more important question is, do you?"

"Yes. I just want to see if you're looking at the same one."

There was one ring that I had been drawn to since Nan had brought out the display. It was a beautiful cushion-cut rectangular stone with eight smaller diamonds running down each side of the thin band, and Nan called it the Tifanny-Novo. I had purposely tried to not pay too much attention to it, trying to hide any clues to as to which one I was leaning towards before Pam showed me the one she liked.

She looked down her nose at the remaining rings on the tray and moved a few off to the side, then picked up a couple more, turning them to look at the settings before putting them in one of her little piles. There were three rings left in the center of the tray, including the one that I liked. She lifted her head and raised an eyebrow at me.

"So, is it one of those?" she asked, already sounding proud of herself.

"It is."

Her other eyebrow went up to join its mate. "Really? Interesting."

I laughed. "What does that mean?"

"I only actually like one of them. I just left the other two out there for shits and giggles."

"Well. That is interesting."

"Are we betting?"

"On what?" I laughed, thinking that I had absolutely done the right thing by asking her to look at the rings. She was thoroughly enjoying herself.

"On whether or not I'm right!" Nan was watching us with amusement, and Pam continued, "If I'm right, which we know I am, you take me out to dinner. If I'm wrong, which is unlikely, you take me out to dinner."

"Wait. It seems like I'm the loser no matter what here!"

"Well, if the shoe fits."

"Nice. " I laughed and shook my head. "Fine. You're on. Show me which one you think she'll like."

She looked at Nan. "Do you have a favorite in mind for Miss Stackhouse?"

"Oh, yes. I did some research on her before I selected the rings to show you today. The one I would have selected is one of those three you've chosen."

Pam raised her eyebrow again and slightly dipped her head at me. "This is interesting." She was drawing it out, being dramatic, as only Pam could. She reached forward with surprising speed and pulled one ring, _the_ ring, out of the row she had lined up. "This one."

Nan was nodding and smiling and I bit my lip. "You too, Nan?"

She continued nodding. "Yes, that one. I'm anxious to see which one you were drawn to, though."

I looked at them, trying to keep a straight face, but I couldn't do it for more than a second; I was grinning from ear to ear. "Same one. It's perfect. It's just. Her."

"Oh, with the bone structure of her hands it will be perfect!" Nan gushed.

Pam snorted, and I knew she was thinking that Nan would have said the exact same thing no matter what ring I had chosen.

I used my Bluetooth and called Sam on the drive to dinner. He wanted me to text him a picture of the ring, and I told him to Google it since Nan had taken it back for sizing. He congratulated me again, telling me how happy he was that I found Sookie, even without his help.

I paid my dinner debt to Pam at Bouchon Bistro. It was her choice for winning the bet, and she was thrilled. It was very Parisian and had been open almost a year, but still had a good buzz. Angelenos were thrilled to have a Thomas Kellar restaurant in town, since so many had eaten at his restaurant in Napa called French Laundry. I wasn't sure how long we would have to wait, so I had called Sookie, warning her that I might be late. When Pam started talking to the waiter I knew I'd done that right thing.

"Did you just order a cheese course? Really?" I sighed, she had been dying to come here, I should have known she would take advantage of it.

"So now you're a sore loser?" She rolled her eyes at me.

"Oh my god. No. Get your damn cheese," I chuckled. There was no one like Pam, and if some goat cheese was what it took to make her feel good about our friendship again, I could handle it.

As we ate dinner, I thought about how much Sookie would like the restaurant, but I truly was enjoying my time with Pam. It was oddly, man time. She told me about her string of conquests and the new gym she wanted to try. We discussed the new Bruce Willis movie and whether or not we could find a way to get invited to the premiere. She sipped scotch while I drank a beer; we were best friends, nothing more, and it was exactly what we had both needed.

We enjoyed a nice meal, including the cheese course, and then Pam ordered the signature bouchons for dessert. They were little chocolate cakes, only a couple bites each, with vanilla ice cream and a rich chocolate sauce. They were delicious, and I was already going to need to add on to my workout to make up for the calories in everything else we'd eaten, so I enjoyed them thoroughly.

I walked her to the car, and she drove off with a parting shot about my engagement breaking the hearts of fangirls all over the world. I climbed in the Vette and called my parents, inviting them down for Halloween and telling them that I wanted to surprise Sookie by having the whole family there. Having them arrive after the party actually started did two things. It meant that my mom would not be at the house making me nuts before I proposed and it guaranteed that she would definitely not be in eavesdropping distance when I popped the question. I told them I had the rooms booked at Casa del Mar.

I called Sven next, giving him the same invitation and telling him the same story about surprising Sookie. He acted hesitant about my paying for their hotel room and flight, and I told him that Sookie was homesick and mom really wanted to see him. Besides that, Sookie and I wanted to meet Rachel. That was all it took, and he sighed, telling me that he wouldn't be able to get out of work early so they needed a night flight on Friday. He knew I would email him all of the information once the tickets were booked. I had already updated Chris on my decision to make the family a surprise, and he thought it was a genius idea.

Now I just had to make it a few weeks without giving anything away to Sookie.

**SPOV**

I was stressing out. I usually enjoyed party planning, but I felt overwhelmed by everything I wanted to get done. Eric had been weird for the last couple of weeks, and it was starting to freak me out. He seemed anxious most of the time, like he had something to tell me, and when he wasn't nervous he was trying to get in my pants. I figured he had agreed to do a movie out of the country or something and didn't want to tell me, but I really had no idea. I had a bad feeling that by the time we had the party I was going to go completely postal on him and make him just tell me already.

As we got down to the wire, we were both getting tense. I was undeniably homesick, the final details of the party still needed to be taken care of, I was exhausted, and Eric was still acting like a jerk. It was two days before the party, the Dawsons weren't arriving until later that night, and I had to admit defeat. I needed his help, even if he was being weird.

Eric's day had started before the sun came up so that he could film some sunrise scenes for _Bloodlust_. He had gotten home just in time for lunch and was was working in is office when I found him to ask for help. He gave me a huge hug and kiss on the forehead, telling me that's what he was there for. He was acting like normal Eric, and I was relieved, because I really didn't know how much more crazy I could deal with. I explained to him what we needed to do and showed him the pumpkins that I wanted decorated. He didn't argue, or say I was nuts, but started helping like it was something we did together every day.

About ten minutes into the project he let out a deep sigh. "I thought you said you were going for simple and rustic."

"I am," I laughed, blowing hair out of my eyes as I painted glue onto a pumpkin. Clearly, we didn't have the same definition of simple.

"You are going all Martha Stewart, Sookie. That's not simple."

I picked up the glitter and began to pour it over my glue covered section of the pumpkin. "This idea might be from Martha's magazine, but it's really not all that elaborate. Its glue and glitter. You should see some of the other crazy stuff she does." I continued working on my pumpkin, painting glue on a new section. "Do you need a new project? Something easier, or less glittery? You can spray paint those gourds over there," I indicated, inclining my head.

"Sure. I'm much better with a spray can than I am with glitter. Now, Martini, she could help you out with that," he laughed.

I laughed with him and watched him walk over to a corner of the patio area that I had already covered in old newspaper for spray painting. He finished before I did and came back to sit across the table from me.

"Anything else I can do?"

"Did you get the liquor I asked you to?"

"I did. Can you tell me why I bought two giant bottles of Kahlua?"

I looked at him blankly. Was he kidding? And then it struck me that he really had no idea. It was our first Halloween together, and apparently we hadn't talked about this yet. "Does the phrase 'slutty pumpkin' mean anything to you?"

He threw his head back and laughed. "No. Should it? Is it your costume?"

"No," I laughed. "I told you what we're going as."

"I hoped you changed your mind."

"Funny." We were going dressed as a group with Tray and Amelia and he knew what we were dressing as, but he wasn't happy about it. I'd had to do some serious cajoling and convincing to get him to agree to it. "No, Slutty Pumpkin was the name of the Halloween episode in the first season of _How I Met Your Mother_. In the episode, which we're going to have to go inside and watch before Amelia and Tray get here and start quoting it, Ted goes to the same party every year trying to find the girl he met four years ago. She was dressed as a slutty pumpkin and all he knows about her is that she studied penguins and likes to drink Kahlua and rootbeer because it tastes like a Tootsie Roll. Anyway, there's more to it all, but that's what you need to know about the Kahlua. Oh, but Amelia always adds vodka to it because, well, she's Amelia."

He laughed. "I might have seen that episode, but clearly I'll need a refresher."

We sat quietly, and he picked up a paintbrush to help me with the last two pumpkins. I didn't really want to finish; I had Eric back for the first time in what seemed like more than week, and I just wanted to enjoy it. We were both done with our pumpkins about the same time, and I set mine down and walked around the table to climb into his lap. He hugged me and nuzzled my neck. It felt great, but I was just done. I sat back and looked at him.

"What's going on, Eric?"

His eyes were soft and full of confusion. "What?" He put his hand on the side of my head and rubbed his thumb over my cheek.

"You haven't been yourself lately. You're you right now, but you haven't been, and I've missed you." I paused and sighed, bringing my gaze up to look into his eyes. "Is there something you need to tell me? Do you not want to have this party? Are you going away for a shoot? What?"

"Oh, Sook. I'm sorry; I didn't even realize I've been being acting any differently." He was grinning a little and he brought his other hand up to my head, leaning in as he gently pulled me forward until our lips met.

The kiss was wonderful and romantic; it warmed my heart and made me tingle all of the way to my toes, but it didn't remove that nagging doubt in the back of my mind.

"Please, just tell me," I whispered. He snuggled me against his chest and sighed. It didn't make me feel any better.

"There is something I need to tell you, but not yet. It's not bad though. It's a good thing, really. I promise, Sookie. I'm not leaving, and I'm not breaking up with you. Far from it."

I exhaled and closed my eyes, letting him run his fingers through my pony tail as I sat curled into his chest.

"I don't really like surprises, Eric. They stress me out."

He laughed. "Those aren't really surprises then."

I lightly smacked his chest. "You know what I mean, and don't pick on me."

"This really isn't anything to worry about, okay?" he asked, still stroking my hair.

I huffed and ran my fingers over the Nike swoosh on his shirt. "I guess so. It's not like a have a choice."

He laughed, and I knew he could tell that I was pouting. "Nope. You don't have a choice." He kissed the top of my head. "Alright, what else do we need to do, lover?"

I groaned. "I need to go make sure the guest room is all ready for Amelia and Tray, and then pick up the costumes from Lafayette. Are you coming to the airport with me?"

"Do you want me to? Or do you want me and my paparazzi friends to stay home?"

"I want you to come. Amelia will love your paparazzi friends."

He laughed. "True. Let's go finish up in the guest room, and then we should have some time to relax before we head over to Laf's and the airport. We can watch your slutty pumpkin."

A few hours later I ran down the stairs from Laf's apartment, laying the garment bags over the back seat in the SUV. I wasn't letting Eric see what was in the bags, he was cranky enough about our costumes, so letting him see the offending outfit before he had to actually put it on was out of the question. He rolled his eyes at me when I jumped back in the car, and we headed for the airport.

We found a spot in short term parking and headed towards the baggage area, picking up several paparazzi before we made it inside the building. Eric didn't say a word when they asked where we were going and squeezed my hand, reminding me of Pam's number one rule. Don't answer any questions, because they'll just ask another one.

We checked the board, and their flight was on time, but we still had about ten minutes before it touched down. We stood talking quietly, not wanting anyone to eavesdrop or try to video tape our conversation while we waited. He asked about the list of things we still needed to do and joked that his favorite chore would be taking Tray to the beach. Eventually, the flight information changed to say that their plane had arrived, and I couldn't help but start bouncing on the balls of my feet.

Eric laughed, "She was just here, Sookie."

"I know, but I can't wait to see her! I'm so glad she decided to come out for the party."

He moved behind me, putting his hands on my hips, and we waited to see our friends. I heard Amelia before I actually saw her. She had a squeal that reached a frequency that dogs could hear. She came running at me, then threw her arms around me, spinning us around. We were laughing, still hugging, when I saw Tray walking up to Eric. He'd taken his time, going at his own pace instead of hurrying along with his banshee of a wife. I always thought it was part of what made them work so well together; they were completely happy with who they were and didn't try to force themselves to be anything they weren't. Eric and Tray shook hands, and then Amelia was pushing me at her husband so she could hug my boyfriend. Eric and Tray grabbed their bags, and we headed back to the car.

I barely noticed the paparazzi taking pictures of us, but as we passed by them, Amelia said quietly, "I fixed my make up before the plane touched down. I hope they got my good side."

I laughed and Eric groaned. She still had no idea what he went through every day. We let the guys sit in the front seat so we could keep talking on the ride home. She was excited to see our costumes when we got back to the house, but she spoke quietly about it. Tray wasn't happy with our idea and made her promise him an expensive bottle of tequila along with a few sexual favors before he agreed to wear his.

When we got back to the house, Eric gave Tray the tour while I showed Amelia the decorations that we had worked on earlier and the list of things we needed to do the following day. We went back to our room where I'd hung our costumes so I could show Amelia the outfits.

"Oh. My. God. Sookie. These are hysterical. Eric's cool with it?"

"Not really, but he'll do it."

She was laughing as she went through the garment bags, looking at the clothes, shoes and wigs. "We have got to get pictures. This is awesome."

"Oh, we will. Just, you know, no putting them on Facebook; I think Eric might kill me if they made it out to the public."

She smiled. "Yeah. It's kind of weird, you know? My best friend's boyfriend is a TV star."

I snorted. "You think it's weird? Jason has called me more in the past couple of months than he has the entire time I was married to Bill."

"That's because Bill was a fucking douche. No comparison."

"I think it's just so he can tell people he talked to his sister, who lives with Eric Northman. There's usually not much for us to even say to each other."

She laughed. "You're probably right. But look at the bright side; you're talking to your brother again." We were sitting on the bed like old times, and she got serious all of the sudden. "Sookie, I have to show you something. It's kind of weird."

Oh shit. Did she know what was going on with Eric? Was it in the tabloids? She grabbed my laptop that happened to be on the nightstand and booted it up. Oh god. I felt nauseous. It was on the internet.

"So, you know how I read a lot on-line?"

I scrunched my brows at her. "That's _so _not where I thought you were going with this. What about it?"

"Well, people write fanfiction, you know?"

I nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"I usually read stories about _Buffy_, but, I was checking things out on the site, and, um, there are a lot of stories out there about _Bloodlust _and the books it was based on."

"Really? Is it good?"

"I've only read a few stories in that fandom, but yeah. Some of it is really good, like, better than the books good."

"Wow. Cool. But why are you telling me this?"

"Um. Well. Sookie, it's just that, well, the stories are kinda sexy most of the time, and, um, well. You know, when they talk about Leif, you know, the character, they're mostly, you know, describing Eric."

"What?" I said, not hiding the shock in my voice. "There are a bunch of smutty fan stories on the internet about Eric?"

"Well, they're about Leif, but, yeah."

"Holy shit."

She nodded.

"Oh my god. Find one. Let me see." I don't know why, but suddenly, I needed to see what these people were saying about _my_ Eric.

"Okay, okay. Let me find a good one." She logged into the fanfiction site and clicked on one of her favorites. "This is easier that Googling it. Um, here," she said, clicking through to a chapter in the middle of the story and pointing. "This is a good passage."

I nodded and looked at the screen. It was a simple page, like a blog, with text all down the center. I began to read the section she pointed out and smiled. It began with Roxie, Leif's love interest, talking about how she knew she shouldn't, but she actually did have feelings for him, and then there was dialogue between the two of them when he called her cell phone. It seemed spot on in terms of the characters.

"This isn't so bad, Meels. And you're right, it's kind of good."

"Yeah. Um. Let me give you an example that freaked me out last night."

I raised my eyebrow at her. Damn those Northman's and their eyebrows.

"I just feel like you should know this is out there. I don't know. Maybe I'm being weird. But here."

She had clicked into a different story and told me to start reading the first few paragraphs. Roxie walked into a bar and across the room spotted a man that, holy shit, sounded just like Eric. Well, a combination of Eric and Leif. He was tall and blond with shorter hair, Eric, brooding and mysterious, Leif, had a sort of magnetism that called to her, shit, that was both of them. I blinked a few times and read it again, then read some dialogue between the two of them. The words and nuances were very much styled after Leif, but then, during conversation, he raised an eyebrow at Roxie, and I gasped.

"Wow. That's fucked up Amelia."

"That's nothing. Look here." She clicked a few more times. "Read this."

I felt my cheeks get red and my eyes grow wide as I read the words on the screen.

"Holy dictionary, Batman."

"Holy erotic dictionary, you mean," she laughed.

"This is like porn." I giggled. "Meels! They're talking about Leif's throbbing cock!"

She burst out laughing, and I couldn't take it. It was so surreal and crazy that I started laughing too.

"I told you some of it was good," she laughed. "Some of it is down right dirty."

"Ah, yeah."

"I just thought you should know. Are you okay?"

"I think so. I mean, I don't know what to think. It's a little freaky that there are thousands of people across the globe reading detailed descriptions of sex with imaginary Eric."

"Sookie, they'd do that without the stories."

I laughed again, she had a point.

"Wanna see a really funny one?"

"A funny what?"

She hesitated, and then told me that there were good stories, there were great stories, and then there were stories that made you ask, what. the. fuck? She tried to be diplomatic, saying that someone must like them, or authors wouldn't post them. I had a bad feeling it was XXX porn or something, but instead what she showed me made me laugh so hard I had tears in my eyes. I pointed to the section that was making me laugh and Amelia doubled over in laughter as well. We were both startled to hear someone clear their throat, and looked up to see Eric and Tray in the doorway.

"What is so hysterical, ladies?" Eric asked with a grin.

"Oh! Um. Ah." I had no idea if we should tell him or not. Eric didn't like to be the center of attention and this, well, erotica, might freak him out. Before I could figure out what to say, Amelia was telling him everything. Then she started reading out loud the section that had cracked us up before they came into the room.

"The only thing Leif loved more than looking at Roxie's rack was touching it. He slid his hands up her taught rib cage to let her huge breasts fill his hands, and then his thumbs found her nipples, bringing them to tight nubs like pencil erasers."

She burst into laughter and she was hitting me on the arm, trying to talk, even though she was laughing so hard she could hardly catch her breath.

"Erasers. Oh my fucking god. Who says that? And rack? That's not romantic at all. I think that one was written by a dude."

Eric chuckled from the doorway, but I could see in his eyes that he was conflicted. He knew that it was funny, but he had just been slapped in the face with the idea that there was basically internet porn written about him. I wondered if he had already known about it? That stories like this existed? Because I had _no _idea.

"Amelia." Tray's deep voice caught her attention.

"What, baby?" She looked at Eric and realized something wasn't right. "Oh god. I'm sorry Eric. I figured you knew this was out there." She closed the link and the internet browser all together and set my laptop back on the bedside table.

"It's alright, Amelia." He sighed. "I did know. I just never wanted to read any of it."

"Most of them aren't like that." she said quickly. "There are stories that these fans write that are better than the books. I think some of them should even try to write for your show."

He laughed, a true chuckle, because the book fans hated some of the writing on the television series.

Amelia got off the bed, and I knew she felt bad. I would have to explain to Eric her good intentions of showing the stories to me, that she didn't want me to find out from anyone else.

She looked at me apologetically. "Um. We'll just give you two a minute." She took Tray's hand, and they disappeared down the hallway.

"Come here." I patted the bed next to me and Eric came over to sit down. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I was just uncomfortable. I didn't know she read that stuff."

"I don't think she does really. She reads _Buffy_ stories usually."

"Great. So she's thinking about Angel when she reads."

I giggled. "He looks more like Tray."

Eric snorted then he looked over at me and met my eyes. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"Please don't ever read that shit again. It's too weird to think of you reading that."

I smiled and leaned forward to kiss his forehead. "I don't need to read that, baby. I've got you for real."

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

**A/N:  
Okay. Please don't think that's some kind of political commentary on me not liking smutty fanfic, because you all know how untrue that is. I was just trying to think about it from Eric's perspective. I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad for reading it. In fact, I absolve you from any guilt and encourage you to go read more; my friends are the authors. *wink***

Thanks to everyone for reading. You know what will be coming up in the next chapter, so leave me some review lovin' and I'll see you next Tuesday. I'm off to take some more cold medicine and try not to fall asleep at my desk. (Links below for the ring, restaurants, and the glitter pumpkins - they are fantastic! Made them for centerpieces for a friends wedding!)

*LOL* at **seastarr08 **&** EtheHunter **Ha ha ha! See, I figured out how to get the pencil erasers in there.

Links from this chapter:

Tiffany Novo Ring  
http:/wwwDOTtiffanyDOTcom/engagement/ItemDOTaspx?GroupSKU=GRP10015#f+0/0/0/0/0/0

Bouchon  
http:/wwwDOTbouchonbistroDOTcom/  
http:/wwwDOTlatimesDOTcom/features/food/la-fo-review20-2010jan20,0,1780982DOTstory

Glittered pumpkins  
http:/wwwDOTapartmenttherapyDOTcom/ny/how-to/how-to-make-glittered-pumpkins-014047


	32. Do You Believe?

**Title: **Halo Effect  
**Chapter 32**: Do You Believe?  
**Disclaimer:** These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.

**A/N:**  
Thanks for reading and taking time to drop me a line! Thanks for all of the well wishes, and those of you that were miserable with me, I hope you're feeling better. I'm almost back to normal, but this cold just keeps hanging on.

Are you on Tumblr? Have you seen Skarsgardlandmarkdessert ? They take a photo of a landmark and insert a picture of Askars as well as a picture of some kind of dessert. It's hysterical. They take requests and I think I've forgotten to show you the Halo!Eric they whipped up for me. I give you - The Chicago River on St Patty's Day, Skars and Tiramisu.  
http:/yfrog(DOT)com/mhhaloericsldj

Super viking sized thanks to my betas and wondertriplets **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose**. We had fun thinking about group costumes and proposals this week. I couldn't do this without them.

I don't want to keep you this week with my author mumbo jumbo - because I know you all want to get to the good stuff, involving the little blue box. So, go read.

00oo00oo00oo00  
**EPOV**  
Friday went by in a daze. I was glad that I had to be on set most of the day because it gave me something to focus on. When I got home, everyone was ready to go to dinner so I got back in the car, and we took Amelia and Tray to Duke's in Malibu.

Sitting at the table with everyone, finally able to relax for the day, I felt myself starting to freak out. I wasn't having a panic attack or anything, or worrying that Sookie would say no, but I was thinking about all kinds of things at once. I knew that about the time we got to the restaurant, Chris and Zaneta would be checking into the hotel, and I hoped that he was ready to deal with mom until the party. I thought about Sven, who had been acting weirder than normal, and I wondered if we'd get a moment alone to talk over the weekend. Then my mind would jump to something else, like how Amelia had been giving me strange looks, and I couldn't figure out if they were related to the creepy fanfiction or if she was on to my plan. I thought about the stupid group Halloween costume that Amelia and Sookie had come up with and hoped to God no pictures of us ever made it out to the public. But more than anything, I kept imagining the moment I would propose to Sookie.

In my head, I went over what I wanted to do and say, rethinking my words a million times. I knew that there was a possibility that she wasn't ready to get engaged, but I needed her to know that I was. I tried to prepare myself for what I would say if her answer was, 'Not yet.'

I managed to nod and agree during the dinner conversation but contributed very little. It was like as soon as one thought stopped, another took its place. I finally started to calm down over coffee and Hula Pie, which had topped Church and State's pot de crème as Sookie's emergency dessert because it was insanely good and Duke's was much closer to home. It might have been because Sookie had moved to practically sit in my lap to share the cookie crust, macadamia nut ice cream, and fudge covered concoction in front of us, but I didn't really care why; I was just glad to be feeling better. When we finished the pie, I leaned back in my chair holding my coffee mug, and exhaled, feeling full and exhausted.

Sookie took my hand and gave it a squeeze. "You okay?"

"Yeah." I nodded and smiled back at her. She had been right when she said I was acting weird, and I'd been doing it again tonight. Raising our joined hands, I brought them to my lips and kissed the back of her as I returned her squeeze.

We stayed at the restaurant a little longer, laughing and talking over our coffee, then headed back to the house. Sookie had a list of things that still needed to be done before the party, and she ordered everyone to get a full nights sleep. I wanted to laugh, it wasn't likely to happen in my case.

First thing in the morning, Tray and I hosed down the pool area and raked the rocks around the edge of the cement that always piled up from rain. I watched Sookie and Amelia inside the house cleaning windows and wondered for the umpteenth time during the party preparation process why the hell I was still paying anyone to clean my house or take care of my yard.

According to Sookie's plan, I was supposed to take Tray to lunch at the beach while the girls continued whatever it was they were doing. We climbed into the car around 11 a.m. to head out, and as we pulled out of the driveway he grinned at me.  
"You realize I don't give two shits about seeing women in bikinis, right?"

"Yeah, I know." I smiled.

"Amelia suggested it, and I jumped all over it because I knew we'd need to get the hell away from them."

I laughed and nodded.

"Anyway, I don't care where we go for lunch."

"We'll just go to the beach anyway, it's a nice day."

I drove us towards the beach but pulled over before we got there and pulled up Roaming Hunger on my phone to find a good food truck. Our choices near the beach were a couple of Mexican trucks or Kogi, which was sort of Korean/Mexican fusion food. I left it up to Tray, fingers crossed he'd be adventurous and want to try Kogi, and he did. We waited in line, which was surprisingly short, and each got a spicy pork burrito and a water. We ate our food quietly and Tray loved his burrito, saying there was nothing like it at home. I laughed, imagining him telling everyone at Phil's in Saugatuck about his Korean/Mexican burrito.

We headed back to the car and drove the remaining few blocks to the beach, where we sat in the sand watching the waves, stretching out the time we were gone a little longer. I'm sure it was relaxing for Tray, but it only reminded me of the time I spent at the beach with Sookie in Michigan, which made me think about how much I loved her, and that led me to thoughts of the proposal I had planned, all of which did nothing to relax me. While Tray soaked in the rays, I called Chris to check in on my family. Everyone was fine, and mom was really excited about surprising Sookie. Family was important to her, and she already considered Sookie part of ours. After a while we nodded at each other, agreeing it was time, and headed to get ice before going back to the house.

We pulled into the garage around 2 p.m., and I think I started to sweat due to my nerves as soon as I turned off the ignition. I had some time left to act as normal as possible and help Sookie get everything ready before I surprised her. I filled the coolers with beer, cokes and the rootbeer Amelia was so excited about for her Tootsie Roll drinks; and I made sure that Tray and I both knew exactly what needed to be grilled, just in case I had to throw the hail Mary and convince Sookie that I was open to a long engagement if she wasn't ready to get married yet, but I was hopeful that it wouldn't come to that.

Amelia and Sookie were doing the final touches on food in the kitchen and I knew it was time to start things in motion. I headed down the hall to the bedroom to get in the shower before Sookie did. She was going to be upset, because I knew full well it was going to take her much longer to get ready than me, but I needed time to prepare while she was in the bathroom.

She was expecting me to get into the crazy costume, so I got all of the pieces of it out of the garment bag and hung it on the back of the door. Hearing her footsteps in the hallway, I stepped into the closet so she couldn't yell at me, or see me before she got in the shower. She shut the door heavily and made a disgusted noise in her throat before going into the bathroom and turning on the water.

I got dressed and waited for her to finish getting ready. I knew her routine well enough that unless she was doing something elaborate to her hair, once the hairdryer started I had about five minutes before she came out of the bathroom in her robe to put on lotion and get dressed. I took a deep breath and checked myself in the mirror. I was as ready as I was going to be.

**SPOV**  
Standing in the shower, I felt the warmth and the pressure of the water help me relax. I finally realized when I practically yelled at Amelia as she made fresh guacamole, that in the process of planning and getting ready for this party, I had crossed some line into insanity. I wanted everything to go smoothly, and I wanted all of Eric's friends to like me. Add that to the homesickness factor and Eric's strange behavior, and my neurosis was the result.

Eric's moodiness came and went. He'd been off in his own head when we were at Duke's for dinner, but Tray and Amelia were too good of friends to say anything about it, and he'd shaken it off and joined us mentally during dessert. We'd lain in bed all night, snuggled together, but restless. In the morning he'd jumped into my list of things to do with a smile on his face, but he clearly had other things on his mind. As soon as he and Tray left for lunch, I'd let out a sigh of relief. Amelia looked at me with concern from across the counter.

"What's going on, Sook? Did you have a fight last night?"

"No, we're good. I mean, I think we're good. He's got something going on that he won't tell me about yet. Whatever it is, he's tied up in knots over it, and he thinks I can't tell."

"Yeah, even I can tell something is going on with him." She laughed as she chopped onion to add to the avocado in the bowl. "So, did he tell you when he'd be able to talk about it?"

I watched her scrape the onions into the bowl and begin to chop more. "That's too much onion," I snapped.

Her head came up and she looked at me, shocked for a second, and then her face broke into a grin. She chuckled as she raised her hands like it was a robbery. "Okay, okay. You're in charge."

"Shit." I climbed onto a barstool and sat at the counter, putting my head in my hands. "I'm sorry, Meels."

"No apology needed." She put down the knife and washed her hands before sitting down on the stool next to me. Still drying her hands, she said quietly, "Start talking, sister."

I let it all out, unloading everything without letting her get a word in. I told her about Eric's and my talk about babies and marriage, how I still didn't really feel like California was home, how the paparazzi were overwhelming, and how I wanted to believe that Eric and I could live happily ever after, but I was scared. And I told her that now I was even more afraid because Eric was acting weird, and I was worried that he was going to break up with me or something. I opened my mouth to tell her one more thing, and she held up her hand.

"Stop. Don't even say it."

"Don't say what?" I tried to pretend that she didn't know what I was about to say, but in reality I knew she did. She always did.

"It. We've been over this a million times. What happened with Bill was his fault. Entirely. You didn't do anything wrong. He threw away the greatest thing that ever happened to him." She sighed and took my hand, calming down. "I'm sure there's a reason Eric is acting weird, but I don't think there's a chance in hell he's going to break up with your, or anything else bad."

"You don't?"

"Frankly, Eric is so far up your ass that he couldn't be surgically removed, and I don't mean that like it's a bad thing." She smiled at me. "Sook, he's the real thing."

"God. I want him to be, Meels. I want to put everything in the past and believe in the possibilities with Eric. It's just you know, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."

"That doesn't work when you apply it to two different people, genius." She laughed. "Think about this; what if Bill had told you he wanted to relocate to California and open a practice here? Lord, could you see his pasty white skin in this sun? Gah. Anyway, what would you have said?"

"I probably would have said my life was in Chicago. Or at the Lake."

"Exactly. What changed?"

I sighed, and it took only a second to know the answer. I smiled. "Eric."

"Yeah. Eric. Your life is with him now. It doesn't matter where it is."

"You're right. I know you are." I sighed. "I'm just stressed out, and Eric's making it worse."

"Sookie, it's a party. You've thrown a million of them."

"I know. But, I don't really know these people that well."

She smiled. "I thought you were having the party to get to know them."

"I am!" I laughed.

"Are you pregnant? You're acting really hormonal."

"No. That's one thing I'm sure of."

"Oh yeah? Some people don't miss their first period," she teased. "And don't tell me you two haven't been doing the baby making dance."

"Shut up!" I laughed.

"You okay now?"

I nodded. "Thanks, Meels."

"No problem, sweetie. Alright. Can I finish making this guacamole that I've made for you like a thousand times without you freaking out about what I'm putting in it?"

I laughed and nodded and we both got back to work. Eric and Tray came in a little while later, when we were taking a break and eating our own lunch. Tray carried on about the beautiful women at the beach, and Amelia flashed him her boobs to remind him he had his own woman sitting at the table. We all laughed at her, even Eric, who'd had a slightly pained look on his face since he walked in the door. After a few minutes, he and Tray went outside to put the drinks and ice in coolers and stack some wood near the copper fire pit. We were mostly finished getting ready, and even though I could admit to myself that I'd gone a little overboard in terms of food and decorations, I'd probably never tell Eric that.

I was shuffling somethings around in the refrigerator when I heard the sliding door open and close behind me. After finishing what I was doing, I turned to see Meels putting away some dishes while Tray was sitting at the bar with a beer. I looked around, but didn't see Eric.

"Is he still outside?"

"No, I think he went to take a shower," Tray answered.

"Ugh." I groaned and rolled my eyes, then muttered under my breath. "Jackass."

It took him like ten minutes to shower and get ready. He didn't even have to dry his hair, he just used a towel. I hoped whatever he had going on with him worked itself out quickly, because he was seriously irritating me. Amelia patted me on the shoulder and reached across the bar to take a swig of Tray's beer. The corner of my mouth lifted in a smile. I shook my head and laughed a little, what else could I do? At this point the whole thing was ridiculous.

I made my way to the master suite when Eric finished in the shower. He was nowhere to be seen when I walked through bedroom, and he wasn't in the bathroom either. I figured he was hiding in the closet since he knew he pissed me off, but more likely he was completely oblivious to my feelings since he'd been spaced out lately.

I had plenty of time to get ready since I had planned and prepared so obsessively. The warmth of the shower felt great, and I tried to think positive things. I wanted to believe Amelia, that whatever was going on with Eric would work itself out. Eric himself had told me not to worry, that it was a good surprise but I hated surprises. I washed my hair and then shaved my legs. It was all going to be fine. If I told myself that enough, it would be, right? Maybe it was like the Emmys. Maybe I just needed to go into the bedroom and seduce Eric into fucking me into an orgasmic haze. God, that was wrong on so many levels.

Shower finished, I dried off and put on my make-up, heavy on the eyes to go with my costume. I dried my hair, fluffing it to give it volume, but otherwise leaving it down, and was all set to get dressed. Ready to put my big girl panties on, both literally and figuratively, I sighed and opened the bedroom door. I stopped short though, looking at Eric like I was seeing things.

"Why are you wearing a tuxedo?" I was shaking my head and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. "Please don't tell me you've decided now not to wear the costume. There are four members of ABBA, not three."

"Sookie, open your eyes."

His voice was quiet, but it seemed closer to me than where he'd been standing when I closed my eyes to resist having a complete and utter temper tantrum. I opened my eyes slowly, and he was standing right in front of me smirking. I wanted to be mad, but there was something so sweet in the way he was looking at me that I couldn't be. My anger and frustration sort of washed away, and I stood there, looking back at him in confusion.

He reached forward and took my left hand in both of his. I looked down at our hands and then back at his face in question.

"You know how much I love you; don't you?"

I nodded, still confused, and he smiled. Then I realized that he was moving, downward, lowering himself to one knee. My eyes flew open, and I gasped, bringing my other hand to cover my mouth in surprise.

"Oh my god. Eric?"

He grinned up at me. "Sookie, you have made me happier than I've ever been. I know it hasn't been very long, but I hardly remember my life before you were in it, and I can't even imagine my future without you." He looked down, then back up at me. "There were a lot of forces at work that brought us together. It seemed like it was inevitable, really, that we'd find each other. But there were a lot of near misses as well, I mean, we might have never met if things hadn't happened just the way they did. I don't want to leave the rest of our lives to chance. I want to be by your side forever, to wake up with you every morning, and make my home wherever you are. I want us to start our own family, together."

My heart was pounding, and I was wiping tears from my eyes with my free hand, thinking about how crazy he'd been for the past couple of weeks; this was why. Every excuse that I'd had in my head for holding off on getting married was trying to push to the front of my brain, but all I could think about was Eric, and forever. It sounded amazing, and I really did believe it was possible.

He pulled a little blue box from his jacket pocket, and I thought I was going to hyperventilate before he actually asked me. He licked his lips before opening the box, and I caught a glimpse of a large, rectangular diamond on a platinum band, before he spoke again.

"I don't want to rush you. I can wait until you're ready. I love you, Sookie Stackhouse, forever. Will you marry me?"

"Oh my god!" I sobbed as I threw myself at him. "Yes!"

"Yes?" He seemed surprised and relieved.

"Yes!" I laughed. My arms were around his neck, and I kissed him as hot tears rolled down my cheeks.

He tried to balance since I had draped myself all over him, bringing his arms around me. I heard a small noise, and I pulled back, then I saw the Tiffany's box on the floor and realized that I hadn't even really looked at the ring or put it on. I giggled and picked up the box. He was grinning at me and I looked down at the box, so small in his hands, then up at to look in his eyes. He opened the box again and there it was; the most perfect, beautiful engagement ring I'd ever seen. He slid it on my finger, and it fit perfectly. I held my hand out, looking at the ring from different angles, and every single one made me smile.

Eric's hands came up and framed my face. "I meant it, Sookie. If you want a long engagement, I'll wait. All I need is you."

I smiled at him, my hands coming up to rest on his forearms. We were tangled in a pile on the floor, and I stretched up to kiss him again. Afterwards, I said, "I'm not saying that I won't panic at some point, but forever with you sounds amazing, and why should we wait to get started on that?"

"God, I love you. I was so afraid you were going to say, 'yes, but not yet,' or something. I had a whole speech prepared to convince you." He laughed and raised my hand to his lips, kissing the engagement ring. "What changed your mind?"

"I've been thinking about what I said about having kids and that I didn't see how we got there. I guess I realized there's only one way that I want to get to that part, and it means that I have to put what Bill did to me behind me. I wanted to believe in you. In us." I sighed. "Then Amelia said something today that really struck me; it was about my willingness to move here with you and leave everything else behind. You're all I needed to give it all up. I've already started a future with you."

"You have." He smirked.

"Yeah. Even if you have been a complete freak for weeks!" I laughed.

He joined me laughing, his forehead falling to my shoulder for a second, then he sat up to grin at me. "I guess I've been a little preoccupied."

I hit him lightly on the arm. "I thought you were leaving me, or something."

"I'm not leaving you."

"I know that, now." We were still sitting together on the floor in the bedroom and I had no idea how much time had passed or if Tray and Amelia were out in the living room waiting for us in full costume. "I can't believe you did this now!" I laughed. "What time is it? I'm sure I have raccoon eyes from crying!"

I reached for his wrist to check his watch. We still had about forty-five minutes, if no one came early.

He laughed. "No one's going to look at your raccoon eyes."

I snorted, "No, they're going to look at my boobs in that low cut costume."

He looked down at my chest, where my robe had fallen open, then leaned close to me, cupping my face, and whispered, "Lover, I'll be looking at your chest, but everyone else will be looking at your engagement ring."

I kissed him again, and before I knew it my robe was pooled around us on the floor and I was unbuttoning his shirt when there was a knock at the door.

"Um. Are you guys about ready?" Amelia called. "Tray wants to know if he should start the grill."

"Yes," we answered together.

"We'll be out in a minute!" I called as I tried to untangle the web of our limbs and stand.

I wanted to call out and tell her we were engaged, I kind of wanted to cry it from the rooftops, but I was wearing nothing more than a lacy white bra and a white thong. It wasn't that she hadn't seen me naked before, but I needed to get my costume on, and it wouldn't happen with the two of us squealing and crying, ogling my ring, and giggling like thirteen-year-olds.

Eric stood as well, kissing me one more time, and I stepped away, grinning. "We have to change clothes or we're never going to get out there."

He grinned and started taking off his clothes, knowing how absolutely sexy he looked. I went into the bathroom to fix my make-up and to force myself to stop watching him. Then I came back into the bedroom to put on my costume, a white satin mini-dress with kimono style sleeves. It had a solid band of blue satin around the entire edge, the hem, chest, and cuffs, as well as embroidered flowers on the sleeves and skirt. Amelia's costume was a matching dress with red accents.

I sat on the end of the bed to pull on my white, knee high go-go boots and caught sight of Eric's ass in tight white, almost spandex, pants and laughed out loud. The pants left nothing to the imagination. He gave me a dirty look as he pulled on the matching kimono style robe that somehow gaped open to show off his chest no matter how he adjusted the belt.

"You owe me for this," he growled as he pulled on a pair of white ankle boots.

"Oh, baby, if you remember correctly, I prepaid my debt for this," I giggled, waggling my eyebrows. He stood and looked at me, pouting, and I had to give him a hug. "The robe covers the most revealing part, Eric," I said as my hands slid over the slippery material that was form fitted around his perfect butt. I giggled, "Just think, Tray's wearing a matching outfit."

"I know. We've already discussed how drunk we have to get to forget about these costumes."

I laughed again and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. "I love you, Eric Northman."

"I love you, too, Sookie, someday to be Northman."

"This is actually kind of perfect; we can tell almost all of our friends at the same time. Oh! We should call your parents. I can't believe I didn't think of that!"

"We'll call them tomorrow, Sookie."

"Won't your mom be upset?"

"No, I'm sure she'll be fine."

I bit my lip. Maybe he'd already told them he was going to ask me. "If you're sure?"

"I am. Now, run out there and jump on Amelia and tell her, like I know you're dying to do."

I gave him a quick peck on the cheek and grinned. "Okay!" I laughed, and then I opened the door and walked quickly, well, maybe I jogged a little, towards the kitchen to tell my best friend that we were engaged!

00oo00oo00oo00  
**A/N:**  
OMG! They're engaged! Woot! Happy dance! Hugs you and twirls you around! Did you ever think we would get here? Schwoo! These two are so perfect for each other!  
Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. Next week...Mom Northman's reaction!

Dukes:

http:/dukesmalibu(DOT)com/

Roaming Hunger  
http:/www(DOT)roaminghunger(DOT)com/la

Kogi  
http:/kogibbq(DOT)com/


	33. Team Northman

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 33: **Team Northman

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N: **

OMG. Seriously. Road tripping with your husband and two small children is NOT a vacation. I will most certainly be attacked by small children, or my in-laws, first thing in the morning and will be rocking in the corner trying to drink coffee. So I'm posting tonight. Lucky for you, no?

Thanks to everyone for reviews last week! They were hysterical! However, since I am on the minivacation from Hell, I started working on next weeks chapter last week...if that makes any sense at all. Anywho - I figured you'd rather have me typing my little fingers off so I can update next week, than replying to reviews.

BIG, Viking fanboy sized thanks to **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose** for their magical beta work.

OH! And super special thanks to my friend** kgmoll **for telling me about her Halloween costume that inspired a group idea.

00oo00

**EPOV**

I put on the shaggy blond wig that I'd borrowed from the set. I couldn't bring myself to wear the one from the costume shop, no matter how clean they swore it was, and adjusted it in the mirror. I looked ridiculous, and frighteningly like pictures of my father from the seventies, but I was grinning from ear to ear. Sookie had agreed to marry me without a second thought really. It was surprising and amazing, and shit, my grin got even wider, it was real.

I found Sookie in the kitchen being smothered by Amelia. She went back and forth between squeezing Sookie and pulling back to look at the ring, squealing in a pitch that I was sure dogs could hear, and then she would hug her again.

I glanced at Tray, who tipped a beer towards me as he said "Congrats."

"Thanks."

Our voices broke Amelia's cycle, and she threw herself at me for a hug. "Congratulations! This is so exciting!"

"Thanks," I said again, still grinning like a fool even when she let go of me.

Sookie came over and put an arm around me, her left hand sliding up to rest on my chest so we could both admire her ring. "Are we making a big announcement, or telling people one by one?"

I shrugged. "It's up to you."

She bit her lip. "An announcement, if I can contain myself," she giggled.

"Sounds good." It actually sounded like a brilliant idea, because I could ask my dad to do it.

Eventually, the girls started pulling dishes out of the refrigerator and lining them up on the counter, then hurricane Amelia blindsided me with questions I really wasn't ready to answer.

"Will you get married here or in Michigan? Oh, or, in Chicago? Have you set a date? Which of your brothers will be your best man?"

She hadn't really asked them in rapid fire succession, but that's what it felt like. I chuckled, "Where, is up to Sookie. When, depends on both of our schedules, and as to which brother, I have no idea."

Sookie laughed and patted my cheek like a child, "Don't mind her, it's just preparation for when we tell your mom."

"Funny." I laughed, trying to smile. If she only knew.

Tray and I headed outside to put the meat on the grill, and he hung back watching me for a minute.

"Shit," I laughed. "This isn't going to work."

He laughed. "Yeah. I figured it out a little while ago. I just wanted to see you try to put something on that grill without setting your costume on fire." He took his robe off and laid it over a chair, pulling on one of Sookie's aprons over a white t-shirt.

I shook my head and went inside to get a t-shirt. So much for having my ass covered by that robe all night; at least I'd have an apron on in front. When I came back through the kitchen Sookie giggled at me and handed me a an apron covered in lip prints that read across the chest, "Kiss the Cook."

"Thanks," I said sarcastically.

Sam and Daph were the first guests to arrive, dressed as jail inmate and a sexy cop. After laughing at me so hard that he had tears rolling down his face, Sam told Tray and I to put on our robes, and that he would take over grill duty.

"Seriously boys, those pants are pornographic. While I'm sure the ladies would love to stare at your asses all night, I don't. Put your damn robes on and cover up."

"Oh, they look fine, Sam," Daph giggled.

"Really fine. Like grade A beef," Amelia added as Sookie laughed hysterically.

"My point exactly." Sam laughed.

"Thanks, man," Tray said quietly.

"Not a problem. I would hope to God that you would do the same for me."

I pulled my apron off and handed it to Sam, who pulled it on over his orange jump suit. I had to laugh as I thought about it. I would have never guessed that I would actually want to wear that damn robe for the duration of the party, but the alternative was, as Sam said, pornographic.

A few more couples arrived, along with Pam who caught me by myself getting an extra garbage bag from the pantry. She was, as usual, dressed all in black, but this was extreme even for her. She wore a long form fitting collared gown with stilettos, smokey eye make-up, red lipstick, and fangs. She leaned against the door frame, and I took in the entire costume.

"Latex?" I asked with a chuckle.

She looked me up and down and raised an eyebrow. "Those pants cannot feel good. Your nuts must be in your throat."

I choked a little on my drink. "Fuck, Pam. That's disgusting."

"So are your pants." I groaned and shook my head at her, then she leaned in to whisper. "Did you, you know?"

I smiled. "Maybe."

"Maybe I'm a virgin," she cackled. "You're all smiley and blushing. So I know you did, and I know she said yes."

"You're in rare form tonight. And you're right, but don't tell anyone. Sookie wants us to make an announcement, probably before we eat."

"Of course she does." Pam rolled her eyes.

"Go get a drink and lose the attitude."

She snorted and walked away. When I came out of the pantry, there were more guests coming in to the kitchen, and I wondered where my family was. There was no where in my costume to keep my phone, so I had stashed it on top of the refrigerator. I grabbed it and checked for missed calls, but there weren't any. I texted Chris, "ETA?" to find out when they were coming.

My phone vibrated seconds later with his reply. It was the number 5, nothing more. I smiled, anticipating their arrival. I had told them to ring the door bell a few times, which Sookie hated, knowing that would get her to come inside and open the door.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, I heard the chiming of the door bell through the outdoor speaker on the patio. I had made sure that Sookie was closer to the house than I was, so she would answer the door. I followed a bit behind her, and almost laughed out loud when the bell sounded several more times as she walked though the house.

I stopped in the kitchen, so it didn't seem like I was following her. As she reached the door, I heard her say quietly, "Good lord. Hold your damn horses."

She pulled the door open and there was a chorus of, "Surprise!"

Sookie was quiet, and I knew she was confused and was blinking repeatedly, trying to figure out if what she saw in front of her was real. She swivelled her head towards me, and I could see her eyes were full of tears, then she turned back to my family and started to laugh.

Mom started crying too as she stepped forward and pulled Sookie into her arms, completely unaware of just how special this night was.

"Oh my god! Did you tell them?" Sookie asked me over her shoulder. Then she asked mom, "Did you know?"

Mom wiped her eyes and looked at me. "Did we know what?"

Sookie laughed, pulling back from mom to hold out her hand and show off her ring. Mom's hand shot out and grabbed Sookie's wrist, practically pulling her shoulder out of the socket, then there was a lot of screaming and jumping up and down. Even Rachel and Zaneta, who hadn't officially met us yet, were chattering about the ring and offering congratulations.

Dad stepped forward and gave me a hug, and before I knew it, he was holding Sookie and mom was launching herself at me. She squeezed me in her arms, and then smacked me on the back of my head complaining that I hadn't told her. Then she hugged me again, like nothing had happened, saying how excited she was for us. When she stepped back she had to wipe her eyes.

Sven and Chris officially introduced us to Rachel and Zaneta, or Zee as she told us to call her. The girls all laughed about seeing Sookie's ring before they were introduced to her. Everyone was talking at once when my brain cleared after surprising both Sookie and my family, I realized what all of their costumes were.

They were dressed in an ensemble costume that was a combination of the Wizard of Oz and Wicked characters, that I was certain my mother had orchestrated. Elphaba from Wicked had been her go to costume for the last several years. My dad was dressed as the Tin Man, Chris was the Cowardly Lion while Zaneta was Glenda the Good Witch. Sven was the Scarecrow and Rachel was Dorothy.

I stepped aside to let them into the house. Mom and Sookie walked in arm and arm, giggling as mom told her about the green stage make-up that covered all of her exposed skin, and I hoped she didn't get too crazy about wedding plans right away. I held the door for everyone as they went into the house. As they walked by, Sven gave me a look and I nodded. We needed to talk.

Chris raised an eyebrow at me, "Nice pants."

"Fuck you."

He laughed and walked into the house. My dad was the last one to go in and I grabbed his sleeve to get his attention. He looked at me questioningly, but l waited to speak until everyone was a few steps ahead of us.

"I have a favor to ask you, Dad."

"Sure thing. What do you need?"

"I want you to make the announcement for us tonight."

He looked at me, a number of emotions crossing his face in just a second, then he cleared his throat and nodded. "I'd be honored. Let me know when you'd like me to do it."

"Before we eat, I think. "

"So soon?"

"Ah, yeah."

He smirked at me and laughed. "Alright." He looked at me for another second, then he nodded and headed into the house.

I followed him inside and then out to the pool area where everyone was gathered. Sookie and I stood near my family, and she teased me for surprising her again with my family. We introduced them to to the Dawson's and Merlotte's and caught up with everyone, getting to know my brothers' girlfriends and chatting with other guests here and there. After about twenty minutes the pool area was filling up and Sam had the chicken ready.

I stood with Sookie near the grill and prepared to say a few words of welcome. Before I could even attempt to get everyones attention, Amelia let out a wolf whistle that damn near ruptured my eardrums. All heads turned toward us.

"Thanks, Amelia." I chuckled

"Not a problem, cowboy," she teased. She was overly excited about the western I was filming.

"The food is ready, but bear with me one second. I just want to thank everyone for joining us at what Sookie and I are hoping will be an annual event." I paused and smiled down at her.

Chris shouted, "What time does ABBA take the stage?"

Then Sven yelled, "Shut up and let us eat!"

Everyone was laughing, and I had to shake my head and laugh with them. "I was about to say how happy I was to have my family here tonight." There was another chuckle from the crowd and I paused. "Anyway," I started, but my dad interrupted.

"Well, I'm glad we're here," Dad joked, putting his arm around my mom. He cleared his throat. "I'd like to make a toast if you all don't mind. It's a rare occasion that Elsa and I get to spend a night with all three of our boys together, and this evening is even more special. Tonight, we're proud to say that we're gaining a daughter, since Eric and Sookie got engaged this afternoon." There were murmurs, shouts, a frightening scream from Martini, and clapping from our friends as my dad raised his plastic cup. Sooke was crying as my dad toasted us. "To Eric and Sookie."

Everyone toasted, and I leaned down to kiss Sookie as she wiped tears from her eyes. We looked into each others eyes for a moment before we realized that everyone was watching us.

Sookie giggled. "So, yeah. The food is ready. Everything is on the counter in the kitchen."

There was more laughter and people began to speak all at once. Sookie was being passed around from person to person getting hugged, and I'm pretty sure every man that was present patted me on the back. It became rather surreal, nodding and smiling, thanking people while keeping an eye on Sookie, who was beaming.

**SPOV**

The whole night seemed like one giant dream sequence. Amelia and I freaked out like teenagers when I told her I was engaged. It was funny, neither of us had been nearly as excited when Bill and I got engaged. There had been so many signs with him I just didn't see; but it made everything with Eric so much sweeter. I may have had a wedding before, but I realized that for the first time, I was getting married. That probably wouldn't make sense to anyone if I said it out loud, but in my head, it made a world of difference.

After a few other guests arrived, I rushed let someone in before the doorbell made me crazy, and when I threw the door open, I found the cast of the Wizard of Oz standing outside. It took a second before I realized it was the entire Northman family. I knew Eric was responsible for it, but to what extent? Did they know? I was squeezing his crazy mother like a maniac when he told me they didn't. Then I was holding my hand out and Rachel and Zee joined in the screaming and hugging.

When Eric joined me outside, I stood on my toes to whisper in his ear, "I don't know how you do it."

"What?" He looked confused.

"I hate surprises. You've bowled me over twice today, and somehow I'm not upset with you at all. In fact, if there weren't all these people here, I might show you exactly how _not_ upset I am."

He threw his head back laughing and pulled me close to kiss my forehead. "You can show me later. I promise to remind you."

I snorted. "I'm sure you will."

We had decided that we'd make an announcement about our engagement, and I knew Eric had it handled. I wasn't hiding my ring per say, but I was staying away from Martini until there was an announcement. If she got anywhere near me, she'd sniff out the new diamond smell and know from the look on my face that we were engaged, and then everyone would know. She was nothing, if not a drama queen. She'd shown up tonight in a blond wig and a white halter style dress, a la Marilyn Monroe in _The Seven Year Itch._ She was currently across the pool, leaning close and giggling with Daph, and I wondered if they knew.

I chatted with Zee about her job in Seattle working for a marketing company. She joked that getting involved with Eric was the smartest marketing move I could have made for the blog. I laughed, saying that was the only reason we were together. We watched Sven and Rachel standing off by themselves, talking quietly and Zee raised an eyebrow at me.

I shook my head. "No idea."

"They've been kind of quiet since they got in last night. Chris thinks they're being strange."

"Well, I don't know Rachel, but it's not like Sven to be so quiet."

She laughed, and Eric began to speak, getting everyone's attention. I moved to stand by his side and watched his brothers move closer together and his parents come towards us. Chris and Sven heckled him, which was totally in character and hysterical and then I glanced at Eric in surprise when his dad started to speak. I teared up right away listening to Jens talk about how glad he and Elsa were to be there with all of the boys, and then he said how special tonight was because I was becoming their daughter, and I lost it. I didn't even hear him announce that we were engaged. But everyone cheered and clapped, and I heard Martini's shriek of joy, so I knew that he'd said it.

I sniffled, and buried my head in Eric's shoulder for a second, willing my tears to stop so I didn't ruin my eye make-up for a second time. It was so amazing to me to have all of the Northman's with us. Aside from my brother, everyone that I considered family was standing with us, sharing our news. I don't think Eric knew how perfect he'd succeeded in making the night for me.

I was hugged, squeezed, and passed around like a rag doll, and then I was enveloped in Martini's strong arms. The hug was quick, and then she was pulling at my hand, daring to try to take my ring off and try it on. I yanked my hand away.

"There's not a chance in hell I'm taking this ring off for you, girlfriend."

She threw her head back. "Oh, sweety, you're too cute! Just lemme look at it then! It's so sparkly! And it's big! Like I have a feeling something else that man gives you is!"

"Ohmygod! Stop!" I laughed. She loved to try to get details about our sex life.

She took the hand I held out to her and lifted it up to look at my ring, turning my hand to see it from every side. Then she got serious. "I am so happy for you." She fluffed my hair and put a hand on my cheek. "This is what it was supposed to be like before. You know that, right?"

I bit my lip and nodded. "Now I do."

She smiled sadly. "Yeah. I didn't realize that you didn't feel like this back then. I'm sorry, Sook. I thought you really were happy with him."

I sniffled and blinked away tears. "Thank you for sticking it out with me even though you hated him."

"Oh, girl. You'll never get rid of me." She shook her head and grinned, lightening the mood again. "And now that you've got that piece of man candy locked up tight, I'll just be hanging around for crumbs."

I giggled and glanced over at Eric before speaking, "He's very tidy. I don't foresee any crumbs, but he might let you do his hair once in a while."

"That is more than enough, baby." She hugged me again and kissed my forehead, then wiped her red lipstick off my skin. "Now, go mingle. You've got lots of people to show that sparkly to." She straightened my collar and fluffed my hair again before patting my ass. "Go on."

A little while later I saw Pam and Eric standing together talking, and I figured she'd need to talk to him about a public announcement, so I walked over to see what she had to say. We'd seen each other several times throughout the night, but she and I hadn't really gotten a moment to talk, or snipe at each other as it were. She looked me up and down as I got closer, a tight smile on her face.

"A white costume. For purity, I assume?"

I rolled my eyes. "A black costume. How predictable."

She snorted. "I suppose congratulations are in order. That is, if one should be congratulated for getting engaged to this guy."

"Oh, I think he's a catch."

She leaned close to me and whispered conspiratorially, "He reads food blogs."

Eric shook his head at us, and I leaned in, mimicking Pam. I looked around, like I was making sure no one else was listening. "I write a food blog."

"No shit?"

"No shit."

"Well, then you two can be losers together."

We all laughed, and when we settled down, I asked where Alcide was.

"He's on a date."

"Really? Wait, with the girl from the Emmys?"

Pam rolled her eyes and Eric answered. "Turns out she works for Warner Brothers. Her office looks out on part of the _Bloodlust _set."

"So if he disappears next season, you'll know where he is," I joked.

Eric groaned. "Maybe I'll get him injected with a tracking system, you know, like a dog."

"That sounds like something I would say," Pam laughed.

"Okay. Next question," I looked at Pam. "Are you issuing some kind of press release? Do you need anything from me?"

"Aren't you sweet?" she snorted. "It's all set to go. I'll send it from Eric's laptop in a little while."

"It's written?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Who do you think held his shaky hand while he picked out your ring?"

"Oh, yeah. I guess you knew already."

"It was only her and Sam. Well, and Chris; he was in charge of the family surprise part," Eric confessed.

"I'm not mad." I laughed. "Someone needed to hold your hand, right? And besides, all of those people will stand up in our wedding anyway."

He smiled at me and Pam looked confused. "What?"

"You'll be in our wedding. I mean, I don't know if you'll be a bridesmaid or groomsman. I guess we'll let you decide which side you want to stand on, but of course you'll be in it." Eric's arm was around me, and he gave me a squeeze. I thought for a second Pam might cry. "Oh, shit, Eric. I think I broke her."

He laughed. "She'll be okay. Occasionally the estrogen in her system leaks out through her eyes, but it's rare."

"Fuck you. Both of you." Pam laughed; she was back to being herself. She shook her hair over her shoulders. "I'd be honored to stand up in your wedding. Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me; I have work to do and an attractive red head over there to introduce myself to."

She walked away, and I turned around to hug Eric, resting my head on his chest. He rubbed my back and I sighed. Amelia had gone around and lit the candles that we had out and someone had turned on the outdoor lights.

"There's something I need to warn you about," Eric said quietly.

"What's that?"

He sighed. "I swear to you she didn't know before tonight, but, it's quite possible my mother has been scouting locations for weddings and receptions."

"How possible?"

"It's like, a sure thing."

I laughed. "And did someone tell you why she was doing this?"

He sighed. "She told dad it was because you don't have a mom help you with it."

"Oh, Eric."

"I know. I was pissed until he said that. How can you be mad about that?" He chuckled.

I laughed. "You can't be."

"But," he leaned back so we could see each other. "You don't have to go with any of the things she suggests. You can go out on your own, whatever."

"What's all this 'you' talk? I thought this was a Team Northman thing."

"Oh, it is, but you're team captain for the wedding planning."

I grinned. "Okay, just as long as you don't think you're getting out of things like tasting wedding cake and picking out flowers."

He groaned. "Really?"

"Oh, yes. The whole nine yards, Northman."

"You know what? I can't wait."

"Good answer." I joked. "Now, speaking of Team Northman. What's going on with Sven?"

"No idea. I'm going to investigate that now."

"Alright. You go find him; I'll go talk to your mother."

"On three," he joked.

I shook my head. "Dork."

"You love me though."

"I certainly do," I said, listening to him chuckle as I walked towards his mother.

Elsa was talking with Sam and Daph when I found her. Sam was teasing her, asking how many years she was going to wear the same costume.

"Well, have you seen me in it before?" she huffed.

"Not in person, but I've seen the pictures."

"That doesn't count."

"What ever you say, Mom," he laughed, and then he nodded at me. "Hey, Sookie. Congrats!"

"Hey, thanks, Sam. I'm still getting used to it." I held my hand up and both Daph and Elsa laughed. "I'm not used to wearing a ring on that finger."

"Well, get used to it. It will be there for a long time," Daph teased. She gave me a quick hug and said congratulations, then looked around at the three of us. "I'm going to get a drink. Those Tootsie Roll things are good. Does anyone need anything?"

"I need a beer. I'll come with you," Sam said, and then they headed towards the cooler, leaving me with Elsa.

She took my hand, and looked at my ring again. "It's very beautiful, Sookie."

"Thank you. Eric picked it out on his own; I had no idea."

She kept hold of my hand and her eyes were cast down. "I really screwed up our first meeting at the house, didn't I?"

"Oh, no. Not at all. Once I understood why you were, well, doing what you were doing, it made sense."

She raised her eyes to mine and laughed. "Really? Maybe you can explain it to Jens and the boys then. I'm just kidding." She sighed. "I am so truly happy that you're becoming a part of our family, and I hope that you can give me another chance to, I don't know what. I just hope you can forgive me."

"Elsa, Mom, you're forgiven." I put my hand over hers. "But you have to come clean with me."

"What?"

I raised an eyebrow and then grinned. "I heard you've already been scouting churches and reception sites."

"Oh!" She laughed. "They told you already? Well, yes. I've started to get some brochures and get some prices but everything really depend on dates you know. And well, I don't know what kind of wedding you're thinking of, I mean, you've been married once before, so I didn't know if you wanted a church wedding or not, so I've looked at some venues that do outdoor and beach weddings. As far as receptions go, well, you know more about food than I do, but I wanted to get an idea of what was out there," she trailed off. "I got a little carried away, didn't I?"

I smiled, but held two fingers up indicating a little bit. "Give me a day or two to let all of this soak in, and then Eric and I will talk about what we want. I'll call you after that."

"Really?"

"Really. We'd love to hear your suggestions." I was careful not to say help. I mean, I did want her to help, but I didn't want her to think she was making decisions. I'd already learned that she was overzealous, so I figured the best way to go about things with her was cautiously.

"Sookie, I can't wait. Oh my goodness, you are taking our last name, aren't you?"

I looked at Eric huddled together with Sven. Sven was talking fast and Eric looked particularly green, but when he saw me looking, he shook his head. I wasn't sure if that meant don't come over or keep my mother occupied, so I smiled at Elsa.

"Of course I'll be a Northman. Do you think I should make Stackhouse my middle name or just drop it?" I figured that would keep her talking for another five minutes, and it did.

I didn't get a chance to talk to Eric alone, but whatever was going on with Sven led to a round of shots. The rest of the night was full of mingling with our friends and family, Tootsie Roll drinks, dancing with Daph, Amelia, Rachel, and Zee, and eventually, three drunk Northman brothers in the pool. It was a fantastic end to the night, complete with their mother telling them they would all catch a cold. I looked on laughing, and realized, I hadn't missed Michigan at all that night. Best. Halloween. Ever.

00oo00oo00

**A/N**:

OY! Three drunk Northman brothers in a pool? I'm so there! So...up next, the morning after, and what the heck is going on with Sven? You shall see my little friends, you shall see...

Um...so I haven't mentioned it in a few weeks...but I'm hosting a contest with a group of friends from the Sookieverse. It's the New Chapter contest for first time writers and writers who've never written an AH (All Human) fic before. Entries are being accepted until November 12, 2010. You can PM me if you have any questions. Here's the link:

http:/www(dot)fanfiction(Dot)net/u/2507718/A_New_Chapter_Contest


	34. Announcements

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 34: ** **Announcements**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

OMG! I got this last week _right_ after I posted, but you will all still love it! **Sapfirerose **made us a picture of everyone dressed as ABBA! Go check it out on her blog, you have to scroll down, it's just under the banner she made me for Halo Effect! (Gerard Butler as Tray, Kate Beckinsale as Amelia) http:/mysvmaddiction(dot)blogspot(dot)com/p/ffn-banners(dot)html

Thanks to **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose** for still being as excited about this story as I am. Their enthusiasm, and yours, makes it so much easier to crank out a new chapter each week!

Oh, and good guesses about Sven all! *wink*

Sorry - one last thing. I started to reply to reviews and totally meant to finish yesterday, but I had a crazy day - I jammed the copier at work, the projector wouldn't work for my guest speaker, and then I had important gchats with the girls about Askars. LOL Anyway, if I didn't get to you - Thanks so much. I read every review and they mean the world; I just sometimes run out of time to write, have a family and career, and reply to them. *HUGS*

00oo00o00oo00

JustJared Post, November 1

**Eric Northman **and** Sookie Stackhouse **Engagement Announced!

**Eric**'s rep, **Pamela Ravenscroft**, tells People, "They are thrilled!"

The couple has been romantically linked since **Eric**'s visit to the Waterfront Film Festival where they had, what is believed to be, their first face to face meeting. The couple says that they met online through **Sookie**'s blog, The Queen of all that is Delicious. Sookie is recently divorced from Chicago dentist William Crampton, to whom she was married for six years. The couple made news this summer when **Eric** was physically attacked on the set of _Bloodlust_ by co-star **Sophie Anne LeClerq**, who was checked into Choices Malibu for drug and alcohol rehabilitation shortly after the incident. Sophie Anne's rep could not be reached for comment.

**Eric**, who is currently on hiatus from _Bloodlust_ and is filming _Western Sky_ with** Kiera Knightly**, proposed to** Sookie** on Halloween. The happy couple was able to celebrate their engagement with friends and family during a party at their home this weekend. **Sookie** was proudly showing off her Tiffany Novo sparkler. No wedding date has been set.

00oo00oo00

**EPOV**

I woke in the morning with a hellacious hangover and my wet costume in a pile next to the bed. Rolling over towards Sookie, I groaned at the jack hammer that attacked my head.

"Morning," Sookie whispered, but it was still too loud.

"Fuck," I muttered.

"You need to get up. You told me last night we had brunch reservations with your family, remember?"

"Fuck."

She chuckled and I opened one eye to give her a death stare. I watched her reach out and felt her cool hand on my forehead, brushing my hair aside.

"What do you need?"

"A funeral."

"Funny. I got you some water and some ibuprofen."

"Thank you," I managed to say.

She handed me the pills, and I sat up enough to drink from the glass she held out before falling back on the bed. I felt the mattress move as she stood up.

"You may lay there until I get out of the shower, and then you need to get up," she said in that bossy, sexy voice that she knew made me hard.

"Ugh." I thought about getting up and following her, I even tried to sit up, but it wasn't happening.

Eventually, I made it to the shower, but it was after Sookie had finished. When I finally found my way to the kitchen, everyone was waiting for me, and I was glad to see that Amelia looked as awful as I felt. She was clutching a bottle of water like it was holding her up, and we nodded at each other with a small smile.

"Wanna see our engagement announcement?" Sookie asked.

I raised an eyebrow at her, and she pointed to the laptop on the counter. "Perez Hilton?"

"I'm sure it's on there too. Pam released it to _People _and everyone picked it up. This is _Just Jared_. I like to read the wacko comments on that site."

I looked at the article quickly, I'd seen Pam's draft earlier. I scanned down to the comments, most of which were positive; there were a few freaky ones.

I glanced at Sookie, saying, "I can't believe you read that shit." I was so hungover and tired that I turned to Amelia and spoke without thinking. "I can't believe the shit you read, either." I was still a little freaked out about her showing Sookie the fan-fiction porn.

"Whatever. Tray doesn't mind, if you know what I mean."

"Eew." Sookie said, laughing. "That's TMI."

I looked at Amelia dumbfounded. "That was an angle I hadn't considered."

Amelia laughed so hard she spit her water out.

"Oh my god. You two are killing me. We need to go." Sookie looked at me. "Ready?"

"Yeah," I sighed, grabbing the keys from her, and we headed to the car. I cracked the window open for fresh air, and I started to feel better the longer I was awake.

"So," Sookie started, "What's up with Sven?"

"Oh, shit," I replied, remembering what he'd shared with me the night before. It wasn't that I'd forgotten, it had been the catalyst that pushed the previous nights celebration into overdrive. I sighed. "You'll find out this morning."

"You're not going to tell me?"

I thought about it for a second, but I knew he wanted to tell everyone himself. I had totally ruined his plans of telling everyone last night because he didn't want to take away from our news.

"Wow. Is it that bad?"

"Um, no. Why do you think it's bad?"

"I saw you last night when he told you, you looked like you were going to be sick."

"Oh," I laughed. "Yeah. He surprised me. It just took me a second to get my head around it. It's okay though, nothing to worry about."

We headed to Marina del Rey to meet my family at Shanghai Red's. We took the Pacific Coast Highway to the Lincoln exit and then turned on Fiji Way before pulling into the restaurant. My dad's car was in the lot, so we headed through the cluster of paparazzi that had followed us from the end of my road. They shouted congratulations and begged to see Sookie's ring, but we kept moving into the restaurant.

I stopped at the hostess stand, and the waitress grinned at us. "I thought that might be your family," she laughed nervously. "Your brothers totally look like you. Right this way." She led us through the restaurant to the outdoor seating area where my family was already seated. I hoped to god my brothers felt as shitty as I did this morning.

Mom, Dad, Rachel and Zee all had champagne in front of them while Sven and Chris were both wearing dark glasses and sipping bloody Mary's. There was a round of hello's and hugs, and then we all took our seats. I commandeered Sven's drink, and he grabbed Rachel's full flute of champagne, raising an eyebrow at me, and I burst out laughing. Mom was shaking her head at us and everyone else laughed, but they had no idea what I was laughing about, at least not yet.

We talked for a few minutes, small conversations at each end of the table, and then people began to go to the buffet for food. The food was great, and the view of the marina was amazing. After everyone finished their first round of food, Sven cleared his throat to get our attention.

"So, it's kind of strange timing for this, and I don't want to take away from Eric and Sookie's good news."

"Sven," Rachel said quietly, putting her hand in his.

He smiled at her and then continued quickly. "Yeah, so really we're just adding to the good news. You see, Rachel's pregnant." My mother gasped while everyone else was was grinning and murmuring congratulations. Mom opened her mouth to say something, and Sven turned to her and spoke quietly. "We're totally excited about it, Mom. So if you're pissed, we'll talk about it later, okay?"

"Sven." My dad gave him a disappointed look, not about the baby, but his tone with my mother.

I wanted to laugh because the look on my mother's face was priceless. There was no doubt that she was mad. She was mad that Sven and Rachel were pregnant before they were married, and she was mad that he had just shut her down, but she was torn because really, she was ecstatic to be getting a grandchild.

"It's okay," my mother managed after a second, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You kids have a lot to think about, and we'll talk about everything later. Congratulations. Our family just gets bigger and bigger this weekend. Jens, you should make another toast."

"Oh, yes. To family."

"Here, here," we all said.

Chris cleared his throat. "Well, I, I mean we," he looked at Zee and paused. "Don't have any announcements to make. We aren't engaged or pregnant."

"Yet," Zee murmured, and we all burst into laughter.

Dad grinned. "You fit right in, honey."

When the laughter died down, my mom's hand was resting on top of dad's. "This has been a great weekend. We need to do it more often."

"Well, we can't guarantee such big announcements every time, Mom," Sven teased.

"No, but we should get together more," I added, and everyone agreed.

Everyone returned to eating and their side conversations. Mom began quietly talking with Rachel, and I followed Sookie to the buffet to get some more fruit. She turned, looking at me with questions in her eyes.

"Please don't look at me like that; my stomach has just begun to settle." I sighed. "What?"

"I can't believe he told you before he told your dad!"

I gave her a half smile. "He didn't, Sookie. Dad has known for a week or so. They planned to tell everyone this morning, but he told me last night because he wanted to make sure we wouldn't be upset."

"That's silly, why would we be upset?"

"He knew _we_ wouldn't, but some people would be. Rachel doesn't really know us, so she was worried. She wanted to make a good impression, and coming into town and telling everyone in your boyfriend's family that you're pregnant really puts a wrench in that."

"Yeah. I guess it would. I didn't even notice that she wasn't drinking last night."

I grinned at her.

"Oh! That's why you were laughing so hard when Sven took her champagne!"

"Yeah. I couldn't wait for you to find out." I looked around, we were standing off to the side of the busy buffet area, but I knew we needed to head back to the table. I reached forward and put a hand in her hair. "Maybe we should get married right away so you and Rachel can be pregnant together."

She snorted. "I think your mother has a twelve month timeline for our wedding." Then she turned and walked back to the table leaving me there laughing.

I came back to the table to find Sookie and Zee politely asking Rachel about her pregnancy, while my mother didn't even try to pretend she wasn't listening. Rachel told them that she was due in May, and that her parents had not taken the news well. That was probably part of why Sven had shut my mother down so immediately; they didn't need to hear it from both of their parents. From what he'd told me the night before, they were just unlucky, or really fucking lucky depending on how you looked at it. Rachel had been on birth control, but it was only ninety-nine percent effective, and they fell into that rare one percent. I had a couple of friends and cousins who would kill to be in that one percent; fertility was a mysterious thing, but I found myself beginning to wish that it would smile on Sookie and me.

We stayed at the restaurant for a while, stretching out our time together, but eventually both Sven and Rachel and Tray and Amelia needed to get ready for their flights.

**SPOV**  
We dropped the Dawson's off at the airport, and I stood beside the car with Amelia trying not to cry. They were mostly happy tears, but still.

"We'll be on the phone all of the time. Don't feel like you're going to plan this on your own."

I snorted. "I know. Besides, Elsa is full of ideas."

Amelia threw her head back laughing. "I love you so much, Sookie. I'm so happy for you and Eric." She held me and then passed me off to Tray for a hug.

I stepped back and watched Eric with Amelia. She was whispering in his ear, and I was sure it was something like, "Take care of my girl," or "Call me when she gets really freakin' crazy."

He nodded, smiling at her, and then stepped back to put an arm around me. I heard a few clicks and saw a few flashes; we were big news again now that we were engaged. Eric said it would die down in a week or so and be back to normal, which was still strange to me.

We went home and spent the afternoon napping and cleaning the house. Half empty glasses were turning Eric's stomach, and it was rather comical to watch. The highlight of the afternoon though was Eric answering my phone when we heard Bill's ringtone. Bill was fuming and sputtering; I could hear him yelling even before Eric put him on speaker-phone. How dare we make him look like a fool by making such a public spectacle of our hurried engagement. And how in the hell had they managed to spell his name wrong? Someone had better post a correction. Blah blah blah.

I wanted to interrupt and yell at him, to tell him that my life was none of his business, but the look of determination in Eric's eyes stopped me. I supposed that with his new status as fiancé, he was feeling a little powerful. He'd always let me deal with Bill in the past, and quite frankly, I was over it. Bill was a waste of my energy.

Eric let him rant, and then said, "Are you finished? Good. You have absolutely nothing to do with my engagement to Sookie, aside from the fact that you were stupid enough to lose her. The press release that my representative wrote didn't mention your name, so you can take that up with the multitude of websites that don't care enough about who the fuck you are to spell your name right. I truly am sorry if people keep dragging you into our lives, because we certainly don't want anything to do with you. Now, I suggest that you stop harassing my fiancé and spend some time with your wife and child."

Eric hung up my phone with a stab of his finger and turned to me after setting it on the counter. He looked sheepish. "Sorry."

"No apologies. It was kind of hot."

He laughed. "Really? Because I really wanted to tell him the next time he called you I would come to Chicago and beat his ass to the point that he would need cosmetic dentistry. But it would be just like that asshole to be taping the conversation and try to use it against me."

"Awww. That would have been great, but you're probably right. He's a total jerk like that. He probably was taping it."

He sat down next to me and pulled me into a hug. "I love you, Sookie."

"I know, Eric. I just want the drama to be over."

"Soon. Hopefully." He laughed.

The paparazzi attention had been intense at first. They waited at the end of the road to see when we left and followed us trying to get pictures. They staked out a corner near the entrance to Eric's movie set and followed me around Malibu when I ran errands. It didn't help that Sophie Anne was out of rehab and reported to be seen house hunting in Malibu with Blackhart on the first of November; the same day our engagement was announced. The paparazzi screamed questions at us about the engagement as well as Sophie Anne. I actually handled the questions better than the pictures, it was much easier to plug in my iPod and ignore them than to pretend they weren't capturing my every move. I'd been overly self conscious about them taking my pictures, remembering Amelia's comment about my Whole Foods trip and was really starting to get stressed out by them following us everywhere when it finally died down.

Time flew by and before we knew it Thanksgiving was around the corner. Over the weeks, we had talked a little bit about getting married, like who we should invite and where and when we should do it. Neither of us was very religious, and although we both agreed Elsa was hoping for a church, we were considering other ideas. Sven and Rachel's baby was due in May, so we were thinking about having a fall wedding.

We were thinking about a beach wedding, since we'd spent so much time at the Lake together in Michigan, and even more time here, looking out at the Ocean. Daph and I were making plans to visit a couple of locations, and I was sure Elsa had suggestions as well. She had called several times, so I knew that she was getting anxious. I was glad that she was splitting her focus between Eric and I, and Sven and Rachel; I don't think either Rachel or I could have survived the full weight of a supportive Elsa Northman.

The Monday before Thanksgiving, I slept in after staying up late working on an article for the Times. Eric was gone to work already, and I took my time having a lazy morning. I made a fresh pot of coffee and ate a bowl of cereal before turning on my laptop. I was setting up camp in the living room, since the natural light in there was cheery and warm.

I sat down with my coffee and decided that first off I would reply to some comments on my blog. As the site loaded, I dialed my voicemail, I had six new messages. First was Eric, telling me he would call at lunch to let me know when he thought he would be home. I deleted it and gasped when the next message started. I set my mug down hard on the table, hot coffee splashing on my hand.

"Shit! Ow!" I missed the rest of the message because of my cursing. I ran to the kitchen for a towel and stared at my phone. The second message started, and it sounded just like the first one. What the hell? I needed to call Eric, but I thought I should calm down. I glanced down at my laptop. Replies. Yes. I could focus on that for a minute, calm down, and then call him. I scrolled down to the comments, read the first two and picked up the phone.

I got his voicemail, how fitting. "Hey, it's me. I need you to call me, and maybe you should come home. Or call me and give me Pam's number. Yeah. Maybe I should have that." I was starting to freak out, and it was going to scare the shit out of him. "I'm fine, physically I mean, so don't panic. Just call me. Okay. Love you."

I sounded like a crazy person, and I was certainly a little frazzled, but there was no way I was telling him over voicemail that Sophie Anne had been calling my phone and had inundated my blog with her insanity.

o0oo00oo00oo0o

**A/N:**

Oh shiz. Did you see that coming? This chick is c-c-crazy! Sigh. Let's talk about Sven. Most of you guessed correctly, and Jens predicted it. Will this impact Eric and Sookie at all? What about Sophie Anne? Will that change things? Hmmm...I wonder.

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

Shanghai Red's

http:/www(dot)shanghairedsrestaurant(dot)com/ca/index(dot)html


	35. Off the Wagon or Mental Health Issues?

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 35: ****Off the Wagon or Serious Mental Health Issues?**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

Um. So I don't know where the week went and how I managed to not reply to reviews, but it somehow happened. Again. Anyway, you guys rock my socks off. I know some of you were blindsided by our friend the Vampire Queen, but several of you said you knew she'd be back... All I can say, is that she's a big bag of crazy.

Thanks as again to my fiery** A Redhead Thing **and the ultimate** Sapfirerose. **They are the bomb diggity, always. Thanks also to **TVgirl **or helping me think about all things LA and where Sookie and the gang would eat, hang out, get hotel rooms, etc. She is my LA insider. And then there's **Seastarr08,** who cracks me up almost nightly. We are considering taking on clients as fashion stylists. We admit that we are not style icons, but we can certainly point out to people what looks bad on them.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

**EPOV**

We finished shooting and I headed for my trailer. I passed Alcide on the way, and he made a motion as if he was drinking, so I knew he was going to get coffee.

"Grab me one?"

"Yup," he called, but he never slowed down.

I pulled open the door to the trailer and flopped onto the couch. It was Monday and I was tired. I noticed my cell phone on the table with the message light blinking. I grabbed it and called my voice-mail, grinning as I heard Sookie's voice, but it quickly turned to a frown. She sounded like she was trying not to cry, and she wasn't making sense. She asked me to come home and told me to call Pam, but she never said why. I felt sick to my stomach, my mind raced through the things that could be wrong that would require Pam to be there. I took my keys from the counter and rushed out of the trailer to my car.

Alcide called my name, and I yelled over my shoulder, "Tell them there's an emergency. I'll call as soon as I can." I knew that Sookie wasn't joking around, she was far too upset, and she didn't rattle easy. I got on the road and used the hands-free to call Pam.

"Hey," I skipped any additional greeting. "I need you to meet me at my house as soon as you can."

"Ah, hello to you, too."

"Sookie called, I don't know what's wrong, but she asked for both of us."

"Is she pregnant already?"

"She was practically crying, Pam."

"I would cry if I was pregnant."

I ran a hand through my hair. "She's not pregnant, Pam." At least I didn't think she was. Shit. Maybe she was. No, she wouldn't be upset. "I have to go. I'm going to call her."

"You didn't call her yet?"

"No. I just got in the car and headed home."

"Ask her for your balls back when you get there."

"Shut up. Are you coming?"

"Yes. I'm walking to the car now. I'll be there in about thirty minutes."

I sighed, because I could hear the sound of what I was sure were impossibly high heels clicking as she walked. "Thank you."

I disconnected the call and pressed harder on the accelerator. Talking with her hadn't made me feel any better.

Sookie answered after the first ring. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself. What's going on?"

She sighed. "Are you in the car? I'd really rather tell you in person."

"Yeah, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

"Okay. I'll tell you then."

"Do you want to stay on the phone with me? I can talk to you as I drive."

"No," she said quietly. "But thanks for asking. I'll just see you when you get here."

"Okay." It wasn't really okay, but what was I going to say? I wanted to know what the hell was going on. "I'll be there soon. I love you."

"I know. I love you, too."

The drive seemed to take forever, even though I knew it was taking the usual amount of time. I got stuck behind a semi truck and then someone that appeared to be sight-seeing and was hard pressed not to whip the Vette out in a no passing zone to get around them. I took a deep breath, knowing that it wouldn't help anyone if I took stupid risks and got in an accident.

When I finally got home, I called for her from the door. "Sookie?"

I walked into the house without waiting for an answer and found her as I expected, tucked into the corner of the couch, but I was surprised that she wasn't eating some kind of dessert. That either meant it wasn't that bad, or it was so bad that she couldn't even eat. Fuck.

"What's going on?" I crossed the room to her, and she blew her nose.

"I'm okay, I mean, I'm not hurt." She sighed. "I don't really know what to say. Just. Listen." She reached down and picked up her cell phone, dialing and turning on the speaker so we could both hear. She patted the couch next to her, and I sat down.

The automated system said she had five old messages and then it began to play the first message.

"You bitch! You think you can keep him?" My stomach sank, it Sophie Anne. "You saw us together. He's mine, and you know it. Don't think I don't know where the two of you live, because I do. I can take you, you bitch, and I'll make you suffer. He might be with you now, but it's not going to last. He'll come back to me and then you'll be alone, like you deserve to be, you fucking slut. "

The message ended and Sookie turned off the speaker, handing me the phone. "They're all the same. I can't listen to them again."

"Shit." I listened to the disturbing messages, tensing more and more with every second. By the time the last message finished I was clenching my jaw and wanting to beat the shit out of something. I hung up the phone and took a deep breath, exhaling through my mouth and trying to calm down. I turned to Sookie, whose eyes were almost vacant; I think she was in shock.

"There's more," her voice was flat. "Look at the computer."

"What?"

"The computer." She pointed at her laptop.

Fuck. I took a deep breath and then exhaled. When I looked down at her computer, it was open to her blog. I glanced over at her and she nodded. I scrolled down to the comments and started to read.

"Jesus."

The first one I read was similar to the voice mail, although it was more graphic, saying that I would always be comparing the two of them in bed, and that Sookie would never be good enough.

She scrubbed a hand over her face and crawled into my lap. "I only read the first two, but there are twenty new comments. I think they're all from her."

I rubbed her back. "Sook, are you okay?"

She bit her lip, and a few tears fell down onto her cheek. "I'm better with you here."

Oh god. I hated to see her cry. "I am so sorry."

She sighed and wiped her eyes. "You didn't do this."

"She wouldn't even know who you were if it weren't for me."

She snorted. "She might have found my blog on her own."

"Of course." I laughed and hugged her a little tighter. "Pam's on her way. I think we should talk to the police about a restraining order."

"I'm thinking I won't fight you on that." She exhaled and sat back so we could look at each other. "Did she call you?"

"No," I said, tucking some hair behind her ear. "When Pam gets here we'll talk about if she wants to keep it private, but I want to know what you think first."

"Oh. Wow. I hadn't thought of that. I think maybe we should go public. I don't want anyone to think we're making it up, but mostly, she needs help."

"Let's see what Pam has to say, but I tend to agree with you."

The front door banged open, and Pam's shoes clacked on the floor. "What the hell is going on here?"

Sookie didn't say anything, I think she was waiting for me to talk, but I was waiting for Pam to calm down.

Pam came into the living room, and flopped into a side chair. She looked at me. "Did she have a miscarriage?"

"What?" Sookie asked incredulously.

"You're not pregnant?"

"No."

"Oh, well, then I repeat, what the fuck is going on?"

"I'm going to go to the bathroom." Sookie climbed out of my lap and stood up. She looked down at me. "Just hold down the three key to call my voice mail, you know my code. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay," I said, squeezing her hand before she went down the hall to our master suite.

"What the fuck, Northman?" Pam asked as soon as Sookie was gone.

I ran my hand through my hair. "Sophie Anne. That's what."

"What?" she spit out the word in disbelief.

I picked up Sookie's cell and called her voice-mail, letting it play on the speaker the same way Sookie had done for me. Sophie Anne started to speak and Pam looked at me, her mouth slightly open, shocked.

"Fuck a zombie."

"There are five of them, all the same theme."

"What's wrong with that girl?"

I turned the laptop around to face her.

"There's more? Lucifer's bouncing balls!"

She read through the comments that Sophie Anne had posted under the screen name 'Vampire Queen,' mumbling snarky comments as she went. When she finished, she got up and fixed a drink for herself, even though it was only 11:30 a.m. She took a sip and turned around, leaning on the kitchen counter.

"What did you tell everyone on set?"

"I didn't. I told Alcide to say that I had an emergency."

"Alright. I'll call them." She took another sip of her drink and bit her lip, thinking, and then she shook her head. "I don't think we can keep this quiet. It's not that people won't believe you after the whole biting thing, but this shit has to stop."

"Sookie and I agree."

"That we should go public, or it should stop?"

I rolled my eyes. "Both."

She nodded. "Okay. Let me borrow your office, and then we'll talk." She pushed away from the counter.

"Wait, Pam. What about a restraining order? I think we should call the police."

"I know. My first call is going to be to that Bubba Gump detective from the LAPD that consulted on _Bloodlust _last year."

"I think you mean Barney Fife."

"Is that his name?"

"No." I sighed, trying not to laugh. "It's not Bubba Gump that was the bumbling police officer, it was Barney Fife."

"Oh. Okay. They're both men. All you people with penises look the same to me."

I was still laughing when Sookie came back down the hallway. I smiled at her. "Pam doesn't know who Barney Fife is."

"That does not surprise me. I think he carried a night stick, Pam."

"Really? He was into S & M?"

"No. But now you'll remember who he was."

"I will." Pam smiled but shook her head at Sookie. "You okay?"

She shrugged and came to sit with me on the couch. "What's the plan?"

"I need to go make a couple of phone calls, but we'll probably have the Detective - what's-his-name?"

"Andy Bellefleur," I told her.

"Right. We'll see if he can come out and take your statement to get a restraining order." She took a sip of her drink. "I think you're right, Sookie. This needs to go public. I'm going to call the police first, because I think we need to do that no matter what. Then I'm going to call Diane, Sophie Anne's manager, and see what she thinks of all this. How we spin this depends on what she has to say. The bottom line, correct me if I'm wrong, is that we want the bitch to leave you alone and get help. We can present this sympathetically, or we can smear the hell out of her, I'm going to leave it up to them."

"Really? You're not just going for the jugular?" It wasn't like Pam to be, well, nice.

"Yes, Eric. If she wants to get help, we'll encourage it. If she doesn't, we'll fuck her up in the media until she decides to get help."

"That sounds more like you," I laughed.

She rolled her eyes. "This is not an attack first ask questions later situation, Eric. I'm managing your career, not hers; don't think I'm doing this for her." She snorted. "Alright. I'll be back. Let me go make some calls." She splashed some more scotch in her glass and headed back towards my office.

The doorbell rang about thirty minutes later, and Pam yelled, "Get the door! It's Bellyflower!"

"Bellefleur," I muttered as I crossed the room and answered the door. Andy remembered me from his time on set, and we said a quiet hello before I led him into the living room to meet Sookie.

He was a heavy-set guy, close to my father's age, and he did have a small town, Barney Fife air about him, which Sookie loved. He sat down and talked to her for a few minutes, breaking the ice before getting down to business. He explained that Pam had told him about the voice-mails and blog comments, and asked her to play back the message for him. He managed to listen with a straight face, nodding his head a few times when Sophie Anne seemed particularly upset, and then fired up his laptop and copied the messages from her phone to his hard drive. Next, he looked at the blog comments from his laptop, making screen shots of the pages to file as evidence, and then asked Sookie if she could hide the post somehow so that the comments could be saved but no additional comments could be made.

Sookie looked surprised, but nodded and with a few key strokes, did what he had asked. He explained then, that he was trying to protect her from having the whole world read the comments once everything hit the news. He told us that the technical investigation team would also need to verify the IP addresses that the posts came from, but he didn't figure Sophie Anne to be a hacker so he thought it would be fairly straight forward.

"Eric, did you receive any similar messages?"

I shook my head.

He looked between the two of us. "Any idea where she got the number?"

Sookie and I both said no.

"Well, phone numbers aren't rocket science. She could have seen it in an appointment book, or maybe she knows someone else you know. We'll look into it." Then he sat back and looked at Sookie expectantly. "Well. What do you want to do?"

She looked surprised. "Oh. I thought Pam had told you. We want to file a restraining order, or a protection order, whatever you call it."

He nodded. "Alright. I just needed to make sure that's what you wanted to do, not just Godzilla in there."

"Oh, yeah. Eric and I talked before Pam even got here. This has to stop." She looked at me and then back at him. "And honestly, I'm a little scared."

God. My heart clenched hearing her say that. I hadn't even asked her if she was scared. I had my arm around her and gave her a little squeeze of reassurance, and then she leaned her head on my shoulder.

"Well, based on the voicemails and the comments she left you on your blog, I'd say it's warranted. She insinuated more than once that she would harm you, and that she knew where you lived."

He pulled some paperwork out of his laptop case as Pam came out to join us. She sat at the bar, listening, but not saying anything while Sookie answered his questions. After a while, he pursed his lips into a sort of frown and nodded his head. "I'd say we're done. I just need your signature on these, and I'll give you a call if we need anything else."

I was sure that this was a simplified version of the proceedings for getting a restraining order, probably to avoid the paparazzi nightmare if we'd come down to the station, but I wasn't complaining. Detective Bellefleur packed his things and shook all of our hands on the way out the door, but not before giving each of us a copy of his business card and his direct cell phone number. He and Pam spoke for a minute in the foyer, and then he was gone. She came back into the living room and took a seat in the side chair across from Sookie, and I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well?"

She exhaled. "Diane said Sophie Anne had been doing really well, but she's afraid she fell off the wagon." She shrugged. "I told her she sounded dead sober and could apparently type quite well when she was fucked up. Then she burst into tears. After I waited for her to stop blubbering, she asked me to give her an hour or so to investigate. Basically, she's on our team. This shit has to stop, and if Sophie Anne doesn't go willingly, she's in full support of us smearing the hell out of her if it gets her back in rehab or to go to an inpatient facility for some counseling."

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Sookie asked quietly.

"I'd like to say we drink heavily, but I have a couple more phone calls to make. You kids should just relax. Take a nap or sit in the sun or something."

I cleared my throat. "What about the restraining order? Do we need to get a statement out?"

"No." She shook her head. "The detective is going to hold it until I call him. I told him we'd file it today, but asked that he give us some time to get a statement crafted."

"Alright." I nodded.

"I hope you don't mind, I'm just going to camp out in your office."

"Oh, no. That's fine, Pam."

She headed down the hall, leaving Sookie and I alone again in the living room. I wrapped her in my arms and pulled her down, wiggling us into position so we were stretched out on the couch. I tucked her against my chest and began to run my hand through her hair.

"Sookie, I don't even know where to begin to apologize to you for this."

"No matter how many times you apologize, it's still not your fault, Eric."

I sighed and put my hands on either side of her face. "It kills me to hear you say that you're afraid of her. I have no idea how to protect you from this."

"You are," she said quietly, bringing her hand up to rest over my heart. "You're here, now. That's the only thing you can do for me. There was no preventing this, really."

She curled tighter into my chest and let out a long breath. I continued to rub her back and after a few minutes, felt her breathing even out, and I knew she was asleep. I held her, thinking over all of my interactions with Sophie Anne, wondering if there was any way I had brought this on us. I'd thought about it before, when the doctor was bandaging the gouges on my neck that Sookie called fang marks, but I still couldn't see where I had misled her. Pam had told me that I hadn't done anything other than be nice, although she mentioned that nice wasn't a quality she was overly familiar with. I was lost in my thoughts and stroking Sookie's back when Pam's face appeared over the back of the couch.

She must have taken her shoes off because I hadn't heard her coming. She inclined her head towards the hallway, and I nodded, holding up a finger and asking her for a second. I extricated myself from Sookie, and she mumbled something in her sleep. She rolled over to face the back of the couch, and I put a blanket over her before heading down the hall with Pam.

"What's the verdict?" I asked as I sat down on the love seat across from her.

She sighed. "We're gonna bitch slap her in the press."

"Shit. She's denying it?"

"Not so much denying that she did it, but she seems fully unaware of how out-of-line she was. She told Diane it was all a misunderstanding, and if she could talk to you, the two of you could work things out."

"There's not a chance in hell," I started, but she held up a hand and interrupted.

"Trust me. I made that clear, but Diane already knew that. She was just telling me what Sophie Anne said. Diane tracked her down, she's with Blackhart now, and he's ready to toss her ass out, so her mom's headed over there now to be there when the shit hits the fan. Diane's going to start to call some private psych places to do some background work, but she basically told me to do my worst."

Pam's worst could be devastating, you didn't want to be on her bad side.

"What's the plan?"

"I've got a statement ready to go, and as soon as the detective calls me to say he's filed the restraining order and Sophie Anne has been served, someone will get tipped off, and then I'll start talking. You, on the other hand, need to go wake up your lovely Sookie-kins and get ready to go out. Strong public face. I want you to call Sam and Daph and meet them out for dinner. Act like you had the plans made and Sophie Anne won't stop you from enjoying yourselves."

I raised an eyebrow at her. I wasn't sure that Sookie was going to be up for that.

"Let her call Amelia and freak out. I can't believe she hasn't had her ear glued to the phone talking to her already."

"Amelia's at work. She's substitute teaching for someone on maternity leave."

"That woman works with children?" She snorted. "Anyway, just go to Marix or Cholo, something low key. You know, just act like it's totally normal that your fiancé is being stalked by your former co-star."

I ran my hands threw my hair. "Yeah. Alright. Let me call Sam."

"You can tell him what's going on. I figure it will be public knowledge in the next hour or so."

"Yeah. Okay."

She made a shooing motion with her hand, telling me to leave the office, and I grabbed my phone and headed out by the pool to call Sam. After the initial shock and a bout of hysterical laughter about how crazy Sophie Anne was, we made plans for dinner, agreeing to meet at Marix in Santa Monica at 7 p.m. I headed back into the house to find Sookie making herself a sandwich.

"Hey," I said quietly, and smiled at her across the counter. "Don't eat too much. I just made dinner plans." She looked tired still, but not nearly as exhausted as she'd looked before she fell asleep.

"Oh. Um. Okay. What are we doing?" She didn't look excited about it, but I loved that she wasn't freaking out about it, or maybe she just didn't have the energy for it.

"Pam wants us to act natural and look like what's going on with Sophie Anne doesn't bother us. I called Sam and we're just going to meet him and Daph at Marix." I smiled, trying to butter her up and waggled my eyebrows. "Chips and salsa." I teased. "And I can promise a pitcher of margaritas and vanilla bean flan."

"Oh, hell. You had me at chips and salsa," she laughed. I walked around the kitchen island to pull her into a hug. She put the knife she'd been spreading mayonnaise with on the counter and put her arms around me. "What's going on?"

"Once the restraining order gets filed and Sophie Anne get's served, Pam's going to tip someone off and then start singing like a canary when they call for a comment." I sighed. "I have a bad feeling she's been busy trying to dig up even more dirt on Sophie Anne."

She exhaled. "Wow. So, Sophie Anne isn't apologizing or anything? She doesn't think she did anything wrong?"

I nodded. "Right."

"Well, shit. I guess I didn't really think she was sorry, but it's still surprising." She shook her head and then looked up at me. "And it's really sad. She needs help. She's like, a few fries short of a Happy Meal."

"Only a few? I think Sam would say she's missing her fries altogether." We stood together for a minute, just holding each other.

She sighed and stepped back. "Turkey sandwich?"

How the hell did I get so lucky? She amazed me with every turn. I kissed her forehead. "I'd love one."

We had finished our sandwiches and were cleaning up the kitchen when Pam came out of the office. She sat the laptop on the counter and took a seat on one of the barstools. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"It's done. And now we wait."

"Wait?" Sookie asked.

"Wait for my phone to start ringing."

"Ugh," I groaned and then teased Pam, "Are you going to stay here for that? It's weird the way you get turned on by being so mean to them."

Sookie chuckled while Pam barked out a laugh. "Nah. I'm heading out. I don't want to lead either of you to the dark side. But," she eyed Sookie, and then laughed as she gathered her keys and purse. "Nope. Not going there." We all laughed as she headed for the door, and said over her shoulder, "I'll call you later. Have a good dinner with the Merlotte's."

The door closed and Sookie looked at the laptop and then at me. "Did she leave before we read that on purpose?"

"Most likely."

"That can't be good."

"My thoughts exactly."

Cele/Bitchy:

**Off the Wagon or Serious Mental Health Issues? **

An anonymous tip led _People_ to discover that a restraining order was filed against **Sophie Anne LeClerq** by **Sookie Stackhouse**, fiancé of **Eric Northman**. **Eric** and **Sophie Anne** are former co-stars on the hit show **Bloodlust.** **Sophie Anne's** contract was not renewed for the coming season. Sophie Anne was at the home of her on again, off again boyfriend **Blackhart** when she was served with TRO papers by an officer of the court.

A copy of the restraining order obtained by TMZ contained transcripts of multiple threatening voicemail messages and blog comments that **Sophie Anne** left **Sookie**, calling her a slut and whore and saying that she would find and injure **Miss Stackhouse**. In the messages, Sophie Anne also said that that **Eric** would never marry **Sookie** and would leave his fiancé to return to her.

**Sophie Anne's** representatives would not comment on the situation, saying that all claims that **Eric** and **Sookie** were making were alleged and under investigation. **Pam Ravenscroft** however, speaking for **Eric** and **Sookie**, stated that the couple is both alarmed and saddened by the downward spiral that the actress seems to be in. They feel that her actions are a cry for attention and hope that she will seek the help that she needs. **Pam** further stated that she finds the repeated lies and delusional stories that **Sophie Anne** continues to spread both ridiculous and spiteful attacks by a woman jealous of **Eric** and **Sookie's **relationship and their careers.

This is not **Sophie Anne's** first run in with the couple. Previously this summer, the troubled actress attacked **Eric** on set while wearing her stage fangs for her role as a vampire queen, injuring his neck. During the attack on Eric, she screamed obscenities and claimed that he was "hers." Days later, she entered rehab for a dependence on alcohol and prescription drugs, citing an upsetting break up with her on again off again boyfriend **Blackhart**, lead singer of the Goth rock band by the same name, as the source of her inner turmoil.

Sources indicate that this is not the first time that **Sophie Anne** has idealized a relationship with a male friend into more than a friendship. TMZ reports that a fellow member of **Sophie Anne's** high school drama club named **Charles Twinings** has come forward claiming that the actress secretly stalked him over a two year period and repeatedly threatened his girlfriend during that time. **Twinings **said that he had always seen **Sophie Anne** as a friend and was shocked when his girlfriend told him about the threats and shrine dedicated to him that hung in **Sophie Anne's** school locker. Apparently, her odd behavior to his girlfriend continued until the three students graduated and left their hometown to attend separate universities.

This history of stalkerish behavior creates doubt that drug and alcohol dependence is the source of Sophie Anne's inappropriate behaviors. Cele/bitchy will be watching to see how this drama effects the newly engaged Eric and Sookie's relationship and whether Blackhart will stand by and be embarrassed by Sophie Anne's antics or cut her loose.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

**AN:**

Okay, so not a ton of progress, but Sophie Anne is being handled. Do you think she'll go quietly into the night? Or is she going to stick around and wreak havoc? Hmm...

Thanks again for being awesome reviewers, and to those of you that read but don't leave reviews or comments. I'm still blown away by the response to this story every week. You guys are the best.


	36. Joan's on Third

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 36: Joan's on Third**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

Look what mystic notions made! The hug between Skars and MManson at the Scream! awards was inspirational!

http:/yfrog(DOT)com/n1skarsandmm1j

http:/yfrog(DOT)com/5askarsandmm2j

Also, even though I realize that Eric and Sophie Anne never dated for real - the song Sorry by Nerf Herder keeps running through my head as the plot unfolds...  
http:/wwwDOTyoutubeDOTcom/watch?v=N61t4Z_WGgE

Thanks so much to everyone reading and reviewing! Did you notice I got to my replies this week? Ha ha! Woo hoo! I'm going to tell you right now that I'm going to struggle this wee with them. I'm headed on a business trip and not sure how much time I'll have on the computer.

As usual, I have to say thanks to my girls, **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose** for being beta-fantastic. Thanks to **TVgirl** and **Seastarr08** too, cuz they're awesomesauce and are always willing to let me bend their ears about this story.

xxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxx

**SPOV**

We went to dinner with Daph and Sam at Marix, which was one of my favorite Mexican restaurants that Eric had introduced me to. It was actually Tex-Mex if you wanted to get technical, and it was delicious. They had two locations, one was in West Hollywood, but I liked the Santa Monica one better because it was by the beach. Eric had told me about the restaurant a few years ago when we were emailing back and forth. It had been part of our argument about Michigan and California Mexican food. I think he was quite pleased with himself that he'd recommended a restaurant that I turned out to really like. It didn't matter to him that I was a sucker for good chips and salsa; in his mind, his choice was a success.

They also had good margaritas and freshly made guacamole. We took our time looking over the menu and everyone ordered their favorites. Fajitas for both Eric and Sam, seafood enchiladas for Daph, and for me, the carne asada emborrachada, which translated to roasted drunk meat. It was grilled skirt steak marinated in Dos Equis Amber beer, lime, chipotle and honey and it came with sauteed onions and peppers, black beans, and rice. It was like nothing I'd ever eaten before, the combination of flavors blended together perfectly.

The food was great and the margaritas went down smooth, but I didn't want to drink too much. Pam would not have been happy if I was sloppy drunk leaving the restaurant when I was supposed to act like everything was fine. I let myself get distracted by Sam's storytelling, and then listened as he and Eric talked about future projects. Daph and I talked a little about wedding plans, but I just wasn't in the mood to think about it. Somehow, I managed to put all of the drama out of my head for an hour or so while we visited, but everything came right back to the forefront of my brain again when we stepped into the parking lot and the paparazzi started yelling questions at me.

"Are you afraid of her?"

"Do you think she'll hurt you?"

"Do you think she needs psychiatric help?"

Sadly, the answer to all of those questions was,probably yes. Although I wouldn't say that out loud to anyone, except maybe Eric, but he already knew how I felt.

We went over to Sam and Daph's after dinner and sat around their fire pit talking and laughing. I tried to relax again and joined in as we talked about football and our plans for Thanksgiving. We were meeting the entire Northman family in Colorado, where Elsa was planning to cook a turkey in Sven and Rachel's apartment. Zee, Rachel and I were going to help with the side dishes, but Elsa insisted on making the turkey even though we weren't at her house. Rachel hadn't hosted Thanksgiving before, so she wasn't arguing. It was going to be a tight fit in their apartment, but the Northman's were a close family and they all seemed to have a great attitude about it.

Sam and Daph were headed to Louisiana to spend the holiday with their families, and they had me in stitches telling me stories about Sam's relatives. Daph joked that in addition to the turkey there were always some mystery meat on the side that she was afraid of. While they had grown up in the same small town, Sam and Daph agreed that his family was much more country and Cajun than hers, joking that we might have seen some of his relatives on the TV show Swamp People. When we got ready to head home, Daph gave me a hug and told me to call her anytime if I needed someone to talk to. I nodded, having a feeling I would take her up on it.

The following few days flew by in preparation for our trip to Colorado. Then we were off, fighting through a throng of photographers at the airport who seemed to be staked out there to catch all of the celebrities as they flew out to visit their families. Sophie Anne had holed up in Blackhart's house, maintaining her silence with the press. Thankfully I hadn't received any additional voice-messages or blog comments from her.

Thanksgiving went by in a blur. I kept busy in the kitchen helping Elsa cook and having a great time talking to Rachel and Zee about plans for the nursery. They wanted a Dr. Seuss themed room, so we promised to be on the look out for great accessories. Eric and I made wishes and pulled on the wishbone, and I won, but I wasn't telling anyone what I wished for. The food was great, and Elsa was good about not asking too many questions about the wedding that I somehow couldn't bring myself to plan.

It wasn't that I didn't want to get married to Eric, but in the midst of dealing with everything, I couldn't focus. I tried to avoid talking about what had happened with Sophie Anne, but everyone had seen the reports, and Eric had called his family the night that it happened. I hoped that getting the police involved would mean that all of the drama with Sophie Anne would be behind us. I spent a fair amount of time Thursday afternoon sitting on the couch with Eric, snuggled under his arm, trying to feel normal.

I went shopping with the girls on Friday, getting great deals on things Rachel and Sven needed for the baby and buying a few Christmas gifts while the guys watched movies and ate leftovers. I ended up having a really good conversation with Zee and Rachel about Sophie Anne over coffee and hot cider about how they agreed that although they would have been upset about what happened, she really just needed to get help.

Sven and Rachel's apartment wasn't large enough for all of us to sleep there, so we had rooms at the downtown Hilton and met up there in the afternoon to relax in the pool area before we went to dinner. Elsa spent the meal suggesting baby names and wedding caterers, and I saw Rachel coveting my gin and tonic. After congregating for a while in our hotel suite, everyone went to their respective rooms and Sven and Rachel headed home. Then suddenly it was time to leave, and I was already tensing at the thought of the paparazzi at the airport again.

I couldn't believe it was only a month until Christmas, and I still had no idea what to get Eric. I was trying to be normal, to live like I wasn't looking over my shoulder for a scary redheaded actress. More articles about Sophie Anne popped up in the press, some I was sure were orchestrated by Pam, which documented the worst of her antics before her trip to rehab and others about her increasingly unkempt and disheveled appearance when she dared sneak out of the house.

No matter how hard I tried to get over it, the whole thing had really freaked me out. Over the next couple of days, even though I knew it was my imagination, I kept thinking I saw her when I was out running errands. Someone had rung our doorbell in the middle of the night and then run away, and even though I wasn't convinced, Eric thought it was just teenagers. Then one afternoon, when I was getting back into the car at Whole Foods, I knew it hadn't been in my head.

Sophie Anne was parked straight across from me staring at me and looking creepy as hell. I'm not sure how I did it, but I didn't panic, I just backed out of the spot and called Eric, who told me to call Detective Bellefleur. After I told him what happened, he said that although she technically wasn't supposed to be within one hundred yards of me, it was a public parking lot and could be argued that she hadn't realized that it was my, well Eric's, car that she parked across from. I mentioned the feeling that I was being watched and the late night visitor. He was angry that we hadn't called sooner, and he told me to be vigilant, to report any suspicious cars or activity on the property and that he was going ask to have increased patrols past the house. If I had been freaked out before, now I was downright scared.

Eric called Pam and she came over to the house to hear the whole story. She casually walked into the house without knocking, lowering her sunglasses halfway down her nose. "Have I not convinced this chick to check into the crazy house yet?"

"Pam," Eric chided her. "Don't make fun of mental illness."

Her head cocked and she looked at him like he was an alien. "Um. Okay, Mom. Anyway, what the hell is she thinking? What did Detective Whatshisname say?"

I sighed. "He said that although it probably wasn't, it could have been an coincidence, so there's really nothing they can do about it."

"He said he'd send a car by the house a couple of times each night and to be on the look out for anything strange," Eric added.

Pam snorted, and I loved her for it. I thought most everything in Hollywood was strange. She called Diane and bitched her up one side and down the other.

"Are you not showing her the articles that have been posted about her in the last week and a half? Jesus. Her career is in the toilet and she's stalking Sookie? Does she want to end up in made for TV movies and deodorant commercials? You do know you're leaving me no choice, correct? I'll send out the pictures of her with that girl in very compromising positions. And she'll talk. You know she will. Portia will tell everyone how Sophie Anne was a controlling and manipulative girlfriend who stalked her and physically attacked her when they broke up."

Sophie Anne dated a woman? And Pam had that pictures of it? I felt sick. I didn't want to bring her sexuality into this. It didn't have anything to do with what she was doing to us. Or did it? Was it about me? Did she want both of us? Shit. Now I was really going down the rabbit hole. I looked at Eric, dumbfounded, and he seemed just as shocked as I was.

Pam was quiet for a few seconds, rolling her eyes and listening to something Diane said. "No. She's running out of excuses. I can tell you right now I'm going to leak rumors that someone else has come forward to report her obsessive behavior, and we'll go from there." She paused a minute and sighed. "I know you're doing what you can Diane, but maybe her mother needs to physically drag her ass to a treatment center before she ends up in jail with no career to come back to."

She finished the call and leaned back, rubbing her temples.

"Pam," I said quietly. "You know I don't really like this, right?"

She rubbed a hand over her face. "Sookie, I don't like this either. I certainly don't _want_ to trash her sexuality because, well," she pointed to herself, "Pot, meet Kettle. But Portia is another person who supports the idea that this is an ongoing problem Sophie Anne has, not just clouded judgment from drugs and alcohol."

"I know," I sighed. "I just felt like I needed to say it out loud."

Pam nodded. "I understand. It's your Midwest values." We both laughed tightly and then she continued. "I think I'm actually going to do some digging and see if I can come up with time stamped photos of the two of you in that parking lot to show that you were there at the same time and hint that she's cheating her restraining order and has stepped up her stalkerish behavior towards you."

"That sounds better."

"I don't know if I can come up with the pictures, but I"ll try."

"Thanks, Pam," Eric spoke up. He'd been uncharacteristically quiet since she began talking to Diane. He sighed. "What are you thinking about in terms of precautions?"

She nodded and exhaled, and I wasn't sure what they were talking about. Then the two of them launched into a conversation about security details and it was so foreign to me that it was like they were speaking a different language. They couldn't possibly be talking about me. But they were.

Pam wanted around the clock surveillance on the property and Eric wanted me to get a bodyguard. I was scared, but I didn't think I needed a hired security detail, and after a heated debate, we came to the conclusion that Pam and Alcide should work out of Eric's home-office for the time being. I wasn't supposed to go anywhere by myself, and when I did, I would go out with Eric, Pam or Alcide, which I knew Alcide wouldn't be happy about.

Eventually, Pam left on her mission to find pictures of Sophie Anne and I at Whole Foods. I had no idea what sources she was going to tap into, and frankly I didn't want to. Eric stayed with me, not returning to the set for the afternoon. I waited for him to freak out again about how this was all his fault, but thankfully, he didn't. He let me cry when I finally broke down and asked me if I wanted to go to Michigan for a few weeks. I knew that he couldn't go with me because of his filming schedule, so it was pretty huge, him being willing to let me fly half way across the country to avoid dealing with this. But that's what I felt like it would be - avoiding things - and after dealing with Bill head on, I knew I could handle this, especially with Eric by my side.

"Thank you, for even putting that out there, but no." I took his hand and laced our fingers together. "I'm staying right here, with you."

"Please be careful," he said quietly.

"I will. But I won't hide."

He nodded. "I wouldn't want you to."

And so began Operation Sookie is Spooked But Not Afraid. It involved me doing my everyday tasks with a chaperone who pretended like they really wanted to run errands with me or sit in the car when I had meetings.

Eric and I continued to present a united front, going to a concert and out to eat as a couple. Sophie Anne dropped out of sight, and Pam said Blackhart had taken her to Palm Springs to "get away." Pam had managed to find the time stamped photos showing me entering Whole Foods at the same time Sophie Anne pulled into the parking lot. The article that Just Jared ran was harsh, saying that Sophie Anne's behavior was frightening and bizarre. On top of that, it claimed that she was at risk of being dropped by her management agency and that a cosmetic company had canceled plans to hold meetings with her regarding an ad campaign.

I still wondered how she had known where I was, but I was pretty sure it was thanks to the paparazzi. I sighed. Now that I had seen the way that Pam worked the tabloids and the paparazzi, it totally confirmed my belief that they were full of shit. Yeah, they posted lots of pretty pictures, and some not so pretty ones, but they didn't know what was going on in celebrities' lives, they only knew what they were fed. And if they weren't fed anything, they made shit up.

The first day that I was under Alcide's watch, was of course, the day I had a million things to do. I had a meeting with an editor at the Times, I needed to drop some things off to Holly at her work, meet Daph for lunch, and exchange some pants that I had bought for Eric that were too short. Aside from meeting with my editor, Alcide tried to convince me that he could just drop me off back at home and run the errands without me. Unfortunately, he tried to reason with me before I'd finished my morning coffee and I completely flipped out on him.

I waved my spoon around, pointing it in his direction. "Don't treat me like a child, Alcide. I'm more than capable of running my own errands. If you keep it up with that attitude I'll just go by myself. Don't think I won't."

He stood there looking at me like he'd seen an alien. "What the fuck just happened?"

"You pissed me off too early in the morning."

"Seriously. You went from being a slug sitting at the counter to screaming like a banshee. It was scary."

"Shut up, Alcide," I said as I stood up from the breakfast bar and headed back down the hall to get ready. "I'll be ready in half an hour."

"Alright, boss."

"Shut up!" I called back over my shoulder.

It had been close to a week, and he was the first one to make me feel like I was a burden. Asshole. I didn't want to call Eric and tattle on him, but I really wanted to call and tell him that Alcide was a jerk, which was basically the same thing, so I just slammed the bedroom door and got in the shower.

After my meeting, Alcide and I stopped by Holly's office and then went to Joan's on Third to wait for Daph. I had noticed a few paparazzi down the street on our way in, but once they realized Eric wasn't coming they would leave me alone. The weather was nice, so we grabbed a table outside and I sat with my back to the cameras.

Daph arrived, and after I told her to ignore Alcide, we ordered our food and then got down to girl talk. We joked and gossiped and talked about everything _but_ Sophie Anne. She knew that I was sick of talking about it, and hearing about her, and seeing her damn picture plastered all over the tabloids and the internet. Our food arrived as Alcide's cell phone started ringing. He spoke quietly for a second, then excused himself and stood off to the side to have his conversation.

I was leaning towards Daph, listening as she told me a story about Randy Quaid and his wife trying to break into her neighbors' house, when there was a commotion on the street. I should have known what it was about, but I didn't see anything when I looked over my shoulder. Then in an instant, Daph gasped, and I realized someone from the street was frantically shouting my name not even half a second before Sophie Anne flipped my salad plate into my lap.

"Oh my god!" I gasped, quickly standing upright. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" she huffed. "I'm the one that _should_ be here. You're nobody. You're just a gold digging whore! You're not good enough - oof!" She would have continued, but she'd been tackled by a rabid Alcide.

He was holding her down and practically growling. The paparazzi had come in closer and were swirling around them, a manager from the restaurant was calling the police, and Daph had her phone out to call Sam, or maybe Eric. I stood there for a second, taking it all in, trying to get my head around what had happened.

Without really meaning to, I walked over towards Sophie Anne and Alcide, who were still struggling. I knew I really should have stayed back, but I couldn't stop myself. Looking down on her, I was struck by how sick she must truly be, but at the same time I was furious. I mean, I was nail spitting angry at her.

"You stupid bitch." I shook my head. "All we wanted was for you to get help. You just put yourself in jail, and there's not a damn thing I can do to stop it." I turned on my heel and walked straight into the restaurant, where I flopped down in an empty chair and put my head in my hands to wait for Eric.

The manager came in, apologizing over and over, offering to pay for my dry cleaning, then telling other customers everything was alright. Daph was sitting next to me, asking me repeatedly if I was okay and patting my back. Alcide came inside and stood next to me while he talked on his phone. I heard every word he said, but couldn't have told anyone who he was talking to. At one point I saw him look down at me, and I had a feeling Eric was on the other end of the phone wanting to talk to me, but I couldn't do it. I was hanging on by a thread and I was going to lose it when I got home. I was going to be fine for as long as I was in public, but after that, all bets were off.

A police cruiser had shown up, and apparently Sophie Anne was sitting in the back of it. An officer came inside to talk to me, but Alcide told him there was a restraining order and that Detective Bellefleur had been called. He asked if I was alright, whether she had physically harmed me, and then told us he'd be outside until they talked with Andy.

So I sat there waiting for Eric, trying to keep my composure, with Daph sitting next to me looking as shocked as I felt and Alcide pacing back and forth and swearing a lot on his phone.

xxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxx

**A/N:**

Oh my stars and stripes! How do you think Eric's going to take the news? And holy crap, what's Pam going to do? LOL

Thanks for reading! Take a second to review if you don't mind. I love to hear what you all think!

Marix Restaurant. Cadillac Margaritas anyone?

http:/www(DOT)marixtexmex(DOT)com/index(DOT)php

Swamp People is a real show.

http:/www(DOT)history(DOT)com/shows/swamp-people

And don't forget the New Chapter contest is still going on! http:/wwwDOTfanfictionDOTnet/u/2507718/A_New_Chapter_Contest  
Have you thought about trying your hand at this writing thing? Have you written vamp Eric but want to try to write him as a human? We're accepting entries until November 12.


	37. Breakdown

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 37: Breakdown**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

Thanks so much to **steph connor** for telling me what the California code for an involuntary psych hold was in her review! It totally saved me the time Googling that info! It's like you read my mind Steph!

Thanks to **TVgirl **and **ChiisaiKitty** for brainstorming personality disorders with me. Everyone else has one ladies, not us.

Thanks to **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose** for the being my beta babes. They are the ketchup to my fries and the cookie to my dough. Thanks also to **TVgirl** for prereading helping me with the Cali/Joan's details. She is the guac to my mole.

And more than anything, last, but most certainly not least. Thank you to all of you amazing readers and reviewers. You might not have noticed, but HE went over 2,000 reviews last week. That is fan-freaking-tastic and insane. If you would have asked me when I started posting this story I would have never imagined it surpassing LOF in reviews at all, let alone by this much. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

oooXXoooXXooo

**EPOV:**

I had just finished a photo-shoot and promotional interview with some of the cast of _Western Sky_ when I heard the distinct snark of Pam's voice.

"Excuse me boys!" she called at us, a little too cheerily. It was unnatural coming from Pam. "I need to borrow the golden boy."

She sauntered towards me in sky high stilettos and a tight black pencil skirt, with a red satin blouse that was unbuttoned, probably one button too many. Pam had a look about her that said we needed privacy, and everyone that I had been speaking with suddenly had somewhere they needed to be.

"Come with me, please."

I was impressed that she said please. That was big for Pam, or it meant something was seriously wrong. I didn't know which, and it scared me.

"What's going on?"

She turned around and started walking away before she spoke over her shoulder. "We're going to lunch."

"I just ate lunch."

"Shut up and come get in my car."

She walked quickly, and I followed her, uncertain of what was going on. She had a completely fake smile on her face, nodding at people as we made our way to the parking lot. She didn't say another word and I was starting to get worried. She used her remote and unlocked the doors to her BMW and climbed in.

I got in and shut the door. "What is going on?"

She put on her seatbelt then looked down at the latch for mine before meeting my eyes, waiting for me to fasten my seatbelt. I sighed, and after she heard the click of the belt, she started the car and maneuvered out of her parking spot. When she shifted into drive the doors automatically locked, and then she spoke. "Sophie Anne showed up while Sookie was at lunch with Alcide and Daph."

"What?" I sat forward, the seatbelt tightening across my chest and serving to hold me back. I immediately felt both sick and terrified at the same time, and I wanted to kill Sophie Anne. "What happened?"

"She dumped Sookie's lunch on her and started to spout off some more bullshit, but Alcide tackled her mid-sentence."

"Shit. How did she get that close? What the hell was Alcide doing?"

She sighed. "He just stood up to take a phone call, about getting the oil changed on your car I might add. He wasn't even five feet from Sookie, and they were in a public place! They were sitting outside at Joan's on Third. You can't get much safer than that."

I raked my hands through my hair. "Did anything else happen? Is Sookie okay?"

"Aside from having vegetables and vinaigrette in her lap? I think she's fine. A little out of sorts, but fine."

The a little out of sorts part had me worried. A person could only handle being a little out of sorts for so long, and then they became a lot out of sorts, and that's where I was afraid Sookie was headed.

"Did someone call Detective Bellefleur?"

"He's on his way."

"And?"

"And," she said dramatically. "He said that he needed to get statements from everyone, but that she would probably go to jail."

"Fuck."

"Eric, that's a good thing."

"I know. It's just. Shit. It shouldn't have come to this." I shook my head. "Are you sure Sookie's alright?"

"Well, unless she got stabbed by her fork, I'm guessing she's fine."

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Drive faster."

"Take it down a notch. We're almost there. Alcide is going to make sure there's a place for us to park out back."

"Fine." I was anxious. My knee was bouncing and I could feel the tension in my shoulders. What now? She would spend a short time in jail and then be out and able to do something else that could be even worse. Shit. Thinking like that wasn't helping, but I couldn't stop the thoughts as they ran through my head.

We finally parked and I jumped out of the car, heading into the restaurant through the back door. I nodded at a couple the restaurant staff as we walked in. She was sitting at a table with Daph, resting her chin in her hand. My chest felt tight as I took the final steps towards her.

I squatted beside her and put my hands on her cheeks. She looked pale, and her eyes were glassy. "Are you okay?"

She didn't answer, just threw her arms around me. It was reminiscent of when I proposed to her, and I had to get that thought out of my head. I did not want these two days to be linked in my mind in any way. My arms enveloped her, pulling her into my chest. After a minute, I sat back just enough to meet her eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked again.

She closed her eyes and just barely shook her head. It wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone watching, but it tore at me. I exhaled and hugged her again, tightly. There were no words for me to say, I just needed to hold her, and I wished we were anywhere but there.

She squeezed me and whispered, "I don't think I'm going to be able to hold it together much longer."

"You're doing fine." I rubbed her back. "I'm here now. I'll take care of everything."

"Can you please try to speed things up so we can go home?"

I kissed her on the forehead and nodded. "I love you."

She nodded back and I could see just how close to breaking down she was.

"Daph, I'm going to go out front and find Detective Bellefleur."

"I'll stay with her, Eric. Pam already went outside."

"Thanks." I headed outside and found Pam talking with the detective, and I hoped to god she'd gotten his name correct.

"Detective," I said, shaking his hand, fully aware of the cameras all around us. It looked like the police, or maybe the restaurant manager, had ensured that they didn't come in too close, but there was a swarm of paparazzi trying to get the money shot.

"Mr. Northman."

"Eric, please."

"Eric, thanks. Anyway, Miss LeClerq is being taken into custody. The weapon was removed from her and-"

"Wait. Weapon? What are you talking about?"

He glanced at Pam. "Ah. Well. It seems she grabbed a knife off of another table when your fiancé asked what she was doing here. That's when your friend tackled her."

I glared at Pam.

"I didn't know! This is the first I'm hearing about it," she said defensively.

I exhaled and then nodded at Andy. "I'm sorry. You just surprised us. Please, continue."

"Well, Sophie Anne told the Sergeant her version of the story and it matches what Sookie and other witnesses have said. Sophie Anne didn't hold anything back. She's quite proud that she walked right up there and dumped a plate of food on Miss Stackhouse. She came right out and told the officer she picked up a knife and would have used it if she hadn't been stopped. It's all clearly in violation of the protection order, and she'll be coming down to the precinct for booking."

"After that?"

"She'll only be in for a few hours, but I'm going to push for a psychological exam. That might keep her in a little longer while we wait for a judge to make a decision. But I can't promise anything."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No. I think I just need to talk to Sookie one more time and we'll be all set for now." He adjusted his tie and headed into the restaurant.

I looked towards the sky and took a deep breath, rolling my shoulders. Before I followed him, I glanced over and saw Sophie Anne in the back of the squad car, her devilish eyes staring back at me. I sighed. Sookie hadn't mentioned it yet, but we both knew that things today could have been much, much worse.

Sookie was standing up, shaking hands with Andy when I walked back inside. Pam was talking to Alcide in the corner, no doubt plotting the press release she would issue in the next couple of hours. The restaurant manager waited for Andy to walk away, then spoke to Sookie and handed her a card. Andy nodded at me on his way back outside, and I walked over to Sookie, putting my hand on the small of her back.

"Ready?"

"Yes. Let's go home."

I nodded at Pam, and we traded keys so Sookie and I could leave through the back of the restaurant. I knew that she and Alcide would take care of getting my car back to the house. In the parking lot I opened the passenger door for Sookie and was waiting for her to climb in when she turned around and hugged me again, a small sob escaping.

I held her close, then wiped her eyes and leaned down to kiss her. It was slow but powerful, and I felt her hands make their way into my hair. I stepped back and kissed her forehead. We needed to get home, to get away from the cameras and to decompress. Sookie was close to losing it, and truth be told, I wanted to kick someones ass. I was wound fucking tight and I hoped I was doing a good job of hiding it. She climbed into the car and I went around to the driver's side, exhaling and trying to clear my head. I didn't want her to see how upset I was.

The drive home was mostly quiet. Sookie kept her head turned, looking out the window. I could see her face face reflected in the window and there were tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. I wanted to hold her, or tell her it would be okay, but she was clearly trying to hide her tears from me, so I pretended not to see.

At one point she wiped her eyes and turned to me. Her voice was flat when she asked, "Did you know she had a knife?"

I nodded. "Andy told me she did."

"I just saw a flash of it before Alcide tackled her." She snorted. "He came out of nowhere."

"I'm sure it happened really fast." I reached over and took her hand in mine. "I'm glad he was there."

"Yeah, me too." Then she turned her head and looked out the window again, but she didn't seem to be crying anymore.

We parked in the driveway since we had Pam's car and walked up the front steps. She fished out her keys before we entered the security code and went into the house. I wasn't sure what we were going to do, if we were going to sit down and talk or if she needed a good long cry. I stood back, letting her pick her path and I followed her down the hall.

She went straight to our room and started stripping off her clothes until she was in her bra and panties, then climbed into bed and put a pillow over her head. I had to chuckle, even though watching her made my heart break. I got undressed and slipped into bed next to her. She turned her head and looked at me from under the pillow.

"What are you doing?"

"Hiding."

I gave her a small smile, understanding how serious she was but unable to resist how cute she looked. "I found you."

She sighed. "I'm not hiding from you. From everyone and everything else."

I reached around under the covers and took her hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Is Pam going to take care of everything? I mean, put out a press release and whatever?"

"Yes. We don't have to do any of that."

"So really, I can pretend it didn't happen until we get up tomorrow? And then we can see what the aftermath is? I mean, if she doesn't get the psychological screening, Pam's going to release the hounds of hell or something."

I sighed. "I hate to hear you like this."

She moved the pillow under her head and huffed. "Well, I hate being like this. I've tried so hard to tough this out, and today was just it. I'm done."

"Sookie."

"Not for good. I just mean, today I'm allowed to break down. I'll be okay. I just need to fall apart a little bit and then I'll pull it together."

I didn't really understand that logic, but she seemed confident. "What does this break down entail?"

She snorted. "A nap. Gorging on pizza while I watch a chick flick and maybe seducing you to prove to myself that I'm really the one you want."

I scooted closer to her and pulled her body against me. "You're the only one I want. Just you. Don't ever doubt that."

She rolled on her side and looked at our joined hands. "I know that. Really."

"But you need me to show you?" I whispered.

She bit her lip and nodded.

I put my hands in her hair and brought our faces together for a kiss. Her hands moved directly to my ass and she moved closer, rubbing against my growing arousal. I had meant the kiss to be slow and reassuring, but Sookie seemed to want something much different. She moaned and set a frantic pace with her mouth, stroking her tongue against mine until we were both panting when we pulled apart. She reached for my briefs at the same time as I reached for her waistband and we laughed, then each removed our own underwear. She reached down, and I groaned as her hand wrapped around me and she gave me several slow strokes. She smiled at me, and I saw her begin to move down my body, but I could tell what she was thinking and grabbed her hips. She looked up at me, licking her lips and I grinned.

"Turn around, Lover."

She raised an eyebrow but hesitated.

"Now."

She bit her lip and did as I asked, not only spinning around so that she was facing the foot of the bed but also raising herself to all fours to straddle my chest giving me a perfect view of her center, wet and ready. I pulled her body back towards my face, and I didn't hesitate to lift my head and taste her. She said something that I couldn't hear with the blood rushing to my head and my heart pounding. Then I stopped thinking all together, licking and sucking, savoring the essence that was distinctly her as she rocked against my face and took my cock into her warm mouth. When I began to push into her with my tongue she cried out and then increased her suction around me, bringing me to the edge before she took me further down her throat, ready to swallow as she caressed my balls.

"Oh god, Sookie," I managed to get out, pausing just long enough to say it before burying my face in her again and thrusting my hips off the bed. I moved to suck her clit, lightly grazing her sensitive flesh with my teeth and she came, moaning around me. The vibrations were just what I needed, and I tensed then released down her throat with a groan. When I was finished, she gave me a long gentle lick with a giggle before she collapsed, sprawled over my body. I chuckled as I helped her turn around so she was tucked into my chest.

I was still breathing heavy a few minutes later when she threw her leg over me and sat up at my waist. She rocked against me, biting her lip and running a hand down my chest.

"Not finished?"

"Not even close," she laughed.

I wasn't sure if it was her laugh or the words, shit it was probably just the friction of her body against mine, but I needed to be inside of her.

"Sookie."

"Sh."

She put a finger to my lips and then reached between us moving me back and forth against her entrance causing us both to groan. Then she slowly eased herself down, her eyes locked with mine. When our bodies met, she dropped her head back on her shoulders, and began to gently raise and lower herself on me until I couldn't stand it. I took hold of her hips and began moving her faster and harder. I reached forward and stroked her; she gasped and her movements became jerky, then I felt her muscles tightening around my shaft. I quickly rolled us over without missing a beat and started thrusting into her.

"Oh shit. Eric. Oh my god."

I felt her orgasm stretching out, or maybe another one started, but her tightening walls felt amazing, and after a few more strokes, I ground myself against her as I came.

I stayed on top of her, holding some of my weight off of her as I rested on my elbows, leaning my head on her shoulder as I tried to catch my breath. After a minute I rolled us over, pulling her on top of me.

Sookie kissed my chest gently, then giggled. "God, I needed that."

"Yeah, you fucking did," Pam said from the doorway, scaring the shit out of both of us.

"Pam!" I yelled as Sookie scrambled to cover herself.

"What? You left the door open and I have things to tell you."

"While we were alone in our home! Close the door!" I glared at her. "We'll be out in a minute."

She swung the door shut, but before it closed we heard her say, "Nice ass, Sookie."

I waited for Sookie's reaction, and she surprised me by dying laughing. I sat up, and she snuggled in my lap winding her arms around my neck. "Sorry about that."

She shook her head. "I think it would freak me out more if I didn't feel like Pam was your brother. I mean, she can think I'm cute, if she does, but she'd never do anything about it. It just lets me know that she approves of us. Does that make any sense?"

"Honestly? No." I laughed. "But if it makes sense to you, I'm okay with it."

She hugged me. "I'm going to get in the shower. I'm sure she'll want to talk to you alone first."

"Hey, there isn't anything she can't say in front of you."

"I know. I'm still going to shower. I'll be out in a few minutes." She gave me a quick kiss and headed for the bathroom, shaking the ass that apparently Pam and I both loved.

I threw on some clothes and met Pam in the living room. She had helped herself to a soda and was sitting in the side chair swinging her leg impatiently.

"What do you have to tell me that required you listening in on us?"

"I wasn't listening. I overheard. Completely different."

I rolled my hand in a 'come on' gesture.

She glanced around as if looking for Sookie. "Am I going to have to say it twice? I'll wait for her."

"Just tell me. You're pissing me off."

She rolled her eyes. "Alright. As they took her into the station she went a little bat shit in the squad car. Let's just say the detective didn't need to ask for the psych eval after the show she put on. They're giving her a 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold."

"Like what they did with Brittney?"

"I'm not going to even comment on how fucked up it is that you know that, but yes. It's a seventy-two hour hold for evaluation and treatment planning."

I looked at her, shocked. I should have been thrilled, but I really couldn't believe it. "Holy shit."

"What is up with you? This is what you wanted, and it's totally good for you. People are going to feel bad for both of you. It's win - win."

I sighed. "Yeah. I guess it is."

"And Sookie is safe, at least for three days, but I would bet that she ends up staying locked up a little bit longer."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm telling you, she went bat shit crazy locked up in that car. I would have bet money that she liked them, but it seems Sophie Anne's not too fond of handcuffs."

I shook my head and heard Sookie coming down the hall. She was in shorts and a t-shirt, her hair wet but brushed. Aside from the puffy eyes from crying, she looked natural and fresh, like the ultimate Californian, yet the opposite of Hollywood. I got up and walked to meet her in the entryway to the kitchen, leaning down and kissing her, surprising us both a little.

"What was that?" she laughed.

"Nothing. Everything." I smiled. "I don't know. It had to be done."

Pam groaned and Sookie laughed. "Well, whenever the mood strikes you."

"I'll remember that." I waggled my eyebrows suggestively. "Come on. Pam has a lot to tell you."

We sat together on the couch and Sookie looked at Pam expectantly.

"Alright," Pam sighed. "Things shook out well for us today. Sophie Anne crossed the line with the protective order, but no one got hurt and now the police have applied for an involuntary psych hold, which they'll be awarded. What I need to know," she took a breath and Sookie interrupted.

"Wait. What am I missing? They can't hold her just because she flipped my lunch into my lap. What did she do?"

Pam gave me a look. "Um. She had a knife."

"I still don't think that's enough." Sookie crossed her arms.

Pam sighed. "She freaked in the police car."

Sookie stood there looking impatient, waiting for more information.

" Sookie." Pam looked at me again and I realized that she had glossed over that part when we spoke. I was beginning to be afraid that Sookie and I didn't really want to know what happened. I could tell that Pam was choosing her words and then she continued. "She freaked out. She threatened to hurt both you and Eric and started talking about killing herself. She was banging her head on the window and screaming about the handcuffs, then started scratching at her arms trying to get the cuffs off."

"What did she say? I mean about hurting us?"

"Sookie," I said quietly.

"I don't know, and I'm not sure I'd tell you if I did." Pam sighed. I thought she did know, but I was glad she was keeping it to herself. Sookie absolutely didn't need to hear it. Knowing that Sophie Anne had grabbed a knife was more than enough for either of us to know. "All you need to know is that she crossed a serious line today as far as the police are concerned, and they'll be focused on getting her help before she gets released."

Sookie sat quietly. She seemed to be taking it all in.

"So, on to new business," Pam tried to sound cheery and I rolled my eyes at her. "I'm not sure that we're going to put out any sort of release about this. I think we're going to wait for the phone to start ringing and say that Sookie was shaken up, but it is fine and you're both so glad Sophie Anne is getting help." Pam sat up a little straighter and focused on Sookie. "But I need to know what you said to her, because people are going to ask."

"What?" I asked, a little pissed. Was she implying that Sookie provoked her?

Sookie was blushing and she looked at Pam like she'd been called to the principal's office.

"Well?" Pam asked her again. "What did you say when you walked over there while Alcide had her pinned?"

The corner of her mouth came up into a hint of a smile. "I called her a stupid bitch and told her that we just wanted her to get help. Then I said she was going to end up in jail for what she did today and there wasn't anything I could do about it."

Pam grinned and nodded. "Apologetic, in a completely bitchy, I'd love to kick your ass but there are cameras watching sort of way, but I can work with it."

Sookie exhaled and her smile got wider. "Good. I thought you were going to be upset."

God I loved her. In the midst of everything she was worried about how Pam thought she handled things. "You did fine, Sookie. Great really."

Pam waved a hand in the air. "You handled things quite well." She sighed, leaning forward and talking quietly to Sookie. "I know today was a big deal to you, but I'd like to try to not make a big fuss about it and let things die down. You and Eric have come out looking good in all of this, and if we start crying about it now we run the risk of looking like assholes because they're holding her for a psych evaluation."

"So you're not going to say anything?"

"Not until they ask me, and they will." She stood and stretched, and went to the kitchen to grab her purse. "Alright then, tomorrow things are back to normal."

"Seriously?" Sookie asked. "Isn't it a little soon to think she'll miraculously be recovered?"

"Where are the sunshine and rainbows you usually have shooting out of your ass?" Pam laughed. "Get with the program, Sook. This is Hollywood. Someone else is going to have a crisis tomorrow, or get diamonds embedded in their teeth. Once we get past today, we should be in the clear for a week at least."

She left, calling goodbye as the door closed and Sookie let out a deep breath, and then she turned to me. "You were kind of quiet."

I nodded. "Yeah. I was trying not to imagine all of the other ways that this could have turned out, and you're right. I'm not sure it's entirely over. I feel like I'm always going to be worried that she's going to hurt you."

She turned to face me on the couch. "I'm fine, and I'm going to continue be fine. I cried my eyes out in the shower." I started to say something, but she continued. "And it didn't help. I still feel like this is someone else's life."

My heart sank. "You want to go home, don't you?"

"What? Eric, no," she laughed, putting her hands on my shoulders. "I want to get married. Soon. I don't want to wait."

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**A/N:**

*Bites nails* Um yeah. I'm really happy with this, so I hope you are. See you next week! Runs and hides.


	38. A Sudden Change of Plans

**Title: Halo Effect  
Chapter 38: A Sudden Change of Plans  
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

Thanks everyone for reviews last week! I started out kick ass replying to them, and then it went downhill quickly. So, if you reviewed in the second half of the week, sorry I didn't get to you - and thanks!

Big thanks to **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose**. This week I was reminded that irregardless is not actually a word. I think I knew, but forgot, my two fab-betas however are so smart that they schooled me. I don't think I'll forget again. *snort* Thanks to **TVgirl** too. She is my source for all things California and is too cool for school. JS

oo00ooo00oo00oo

**EPOV**

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, shocked.

"I want to get married. Sooner than later." She grinned. "She took the joy out of our being engaged; I couldn't even think about our future. And while I'd enjoy a year planning our perfect wedding down to the last detail, I'd much rather become Mrs. Northman as soon as possible."

"Mrs. Northman?" I grinned, loving the sound of it. "Well, I'm not going to argue with you and slow things down. Let's do it."

She bit her lip. "Will you be okay without a big church wedding?"

"I'll be fine." I laughed.

"Your mom won't be."

I put my hand on her cheek. "My mom does not factor into planning this wedding, even though she thinks she does."

Sookie smiled and sat up on her knees excitedly, almost bouncing on the couch. "When can we do it?"

I sat up a little straighter as well, turning my body to face her. "I don't know, tonight? We can drive to Vegas."

"Oh. I don't know about that." She wrinkled her nose.

I shook my head and grinned. "Sook, if you want a quickie wedding, Vegas is the place to go."

"No. Not Vegas." She paused, and then her eyes got wide. "What about New Years Eve?"

"You just want me to tell you what we're doing! That's what this is about!"

"No, that's not it!" She threw her head back, laughing. "But New Years Eve would be perfect!"

Since it was our first New Year together, I made special plans for us and was keeping it a secret. I'd booked our trip even before Sophie Anne had left Sookie those messages, wanting us to have a special start to the coming year.

"Okay," I said thinking things through. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do."

I laughed. "I mean about wedding stuff."

"Oh." She paused and grinned. "Maybe?"

I sighed. "Here's what I'm willing to tell you. Where we are going for New Years is totally conducive to a wedding. It is also somewhere that we can plan it all when we get there."

"What about a dress?"

"You'd be hot in a full wedding gown there."

She raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Really."

She grinned. "So, we could get married on the beach or something?"

"Or something," I said, still not willing to give up the secret location. I just had to keep my mouth shut for two and a half weeks.

"Are you serious about this? I mean, you'd be okay if we got married with no one else there?" she asked hesitantly.

"I just told you we could drive to Vegas today. I'm ready when you are."

"And Pam will be okay with it?"

"Although she acts like it, Pam is not an essential person in our wedding."

"I know." She laughed, hitting my arm. "But you know, she'll need to do some publicity."

"And she will. We'll text her a picture."

"Eric."

I stopped for a minute, realizing it was more than the publicity she was talking about. "Do you _want_ Pam there?"

She shrugged. "No more than I want Amelia there, but it seems like Pam would be more useful to you."

I smiled. I understood if she wanted Amelia there. Hell, I'd pay for her to join us if it made Sookie happy. "I'll talk to Pam about it, and we'll see."

"I'll call Amelia."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You can call her, but I'm not telling you where we're going."

"Well, what am I going to tell her?"

"Tell her whatever you want, Sook. I'm going to call Tray, and we'll set everything up."

"Are we really doing this?"

"I think so." I grinned. "I'll call and get an appointment set up with a wedding planner for when we get there. And you're cool not letting anything slip to my mom on Christmas?"

"I am _so_ cool with that. She would crush me with questions and guilt if told her anything." She giggled as she crawled into my lap. "I'm pretty excited about this."

"I know. Me too." I put my arms around her and held her close. "It'll be weird to hear people call you Mrs. Northman at first, that's my mom."

"Ha ha. Yeah. That's what Tray said when he and Amelia first got married."

I leaned back a little to look at her. "Sookie, do you want me to call your brother?"

"For what?"

"The wedding?" I asked, like it was obvious.

"Oh. Um. I don't think so. I mean, he's called a couple of times this last month, and that's been okay, but I'm not sure I'm ready for him to be a part of this."

"I hate to say it, but he won't get another chance at seeing you get married."

She threw her head back and laughed. "You're right, but he was at the first one and look how well that turned out." She snorted. "Thank you, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I mean, I hadn't talked to him more than once a year before I made the tabloids with you. He didn't even call when I left him a message that I was getting divorced. We just drifted really far apart after Gran died. It will take a while to get close to him again."

I sighed. "I just wanted to make sure."

"Thank you. Are you sure you're going to be okay if your family isn't there? I mean, you're a tight knit group."

I smiled. "It's fine, Sook. Guys aren't like girls. The only thing I think about when I imagine our wedding is you."

"Aw. I don't know if you're just saying that, but it's really sweet." We both laughed, and she snuggled her face into my neck. "What are we going to do this afternoon?"

"I can think of a few things." I waggled my eyebrows. "Let's go back to bed, Lover."

"Go to bed?" She giggled, pulling my shirt over my head. "What's wrong with right here?"

I laughed. "Not a thing, but let's dead bolt the door so Pam doesn't walk in again."

"Good plan." She walked to the front door and flipped the lock and then began a slow, sexy strip tease as she came back towards me.

At some point, we made it to the bedroom and then at some point we found ourselves in the shower. Much later, we raided the refrigerator for a midnight snack that we eventually ate after having more amazing sex on the kitchen counter.

We hid in the house most of the next day., acting like it was any other Saturday, lounging around before we went out in the evening, except we were reading the tabloid recaps of Sophie Anne's arrest and watching grainy video footage of the encounter on the PopSugar website. It probably wasn't healthy, but as Pam said, it was better to be prepared than be blindsided, so both Sookie and I wanted to see the press coverage of Sophie Anne's dramatics.

I was a little pissed that none of the photographers had tried to stop Sophie Anne as she approached Sookie. She didn't _seem_ threatening when she walked up, but I knew that they were all aware of what had been going on, and I couldn't believe they had all just watched it happen. I guess I shouldn't have expected them to forfeit such great video. It was their bread and butter, and these opportunities didn't come along all that often.

Sookie had only seen the video clip once before I told her I didn't know if was a good idea for her to keep watching it, but I had see it several more times when she left the room. I watched Sophie Anne carefully, trying to judge what I thought she was capable of, and I just didn't know. I considered calling Pam to get the details of the threats Sophie Anne had made while on her ride to the station, but I thought maybe it was better not knowing, mainly because Sookie didn't need to hear it, and I didn't want to keep it from her.

While Sookie took a nap, I made calls to Tray and Pam, who were a little surprised by our idea for a wedding, but both were on board with adjusting their plans to share the day with us. They were sworn to secrecy regarding the location, and I made it clear that we were not telling our families, well, aside from them, since we truly considered them family. I was a little afraid that Pam would be upset that we weren't making a big production of our wedding. I would change things, but I didn't want to have to listen to her talk about how great it would look in the media and how my fans would love it. I figured my fans wanted me to be happy, and I was going to keep telling myself that.

She made a joke about still needing to decide whose side of the aisle she'd stand on, and I knew she wasn't upset. She'd work through whatever issues she had with our plans and be fine. I asked her to look into finding us a wedding planner. She was basically a man without a penis, but she was more woman than Alcide, and I trusted her to keep my fiancés interests in mind.

I fielded phone calls from my family throughout the day. I'd called Chris quickly the previous day before things hit the internet and given him the rundown, asking him to call everyone. My mom was pretty freaked out and kept asking to talk to Sookie. I was being rather protective and lied, saying she was in the shower when in fact she was standing next to me shaking her head and mouthing, "No."

Sookie and I had discussed whether or not we should go out for the night or cancel our plans. Regardless of Pam's comments that it would look good in the press, Sookie actually wanted to go. She didn't want to cancel on our friends, and she thought being out would help keep her mind busy, off of worrying about crazy actresses and quickie weddings that she couldn't actually plan yet.

We were invited to Ben and Jen's holiday party, and Jen had been an amazing support for Sookie. She'd been through some similar things, as well as some even scarier situations, with a stalker fan for over six years. She'd eventually been granted a permanent restraining order against him, which he violated when he was spotted outside her children's day care center. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and had been institutionalized. It didn't really give me a good feeling about things as far as Sophie Anne was concerned, but she truly understood Sookie's fears, and it made her feel better when they spoke.

Ben had met me for lunch one day as well. He'd been full of information about security and had given me a few names of body guards to check into. My favorite suggestion from him had actually been a useless one, but it had pretty much solidified our friendship in my eyes.

"I might know some guys in Boston who could, you know, take care of things if you wanted."

It took all of a second for me to comprehend, and I gave him a wry smile. "I'll keep that in mind."

He smirked. "I might know some guys near Chino, too. I'm just saying." We both laughed, and he shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a guy with blue collar roots living a black tie life."

I nodded, thinking it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be, as we sat discussing protecting the women we loved from crazy people, but I also knew were reaping the benefits of our careers. Celebrity was a double edged sword.

We decided that we weren't going to hide at home, especially since we knew Sophie Anne was locked up for at least the next twenty-four hours. We showered, and I was pulling on my jeans when Sookie came out of the bathroom looking ridiculous. She was wearing black stretch pants with a red sweater that was a couple sizes too big for her and covered in a pattern of tiny snowflakes. Each flake had sequins and beads sewn into the middle of it to make the sweater sparkle. I couldn't help but laugh at her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're going to laugh at me before you see the sweater you're wearing?"

I cringed. "Is it that bad?"

She walked to the closet and came out with a very large red sweatshirt type thing that she shook out like a flag. She grinned at me and held it up to reveal a cartoon elf on the front of it with a bell on the end of his hat. Below him was the phrase "Santa's little helper."

"Fucking Alcide," I growled.

She laughed. "Hey, don't blame him. He had a hard time finding something large enough for you. His options were limited."

I raised an eyebrow at her. I didn't believe for a moment that there hadn't been something better than this. "You're sure this is what we're supposed to wear?"

"You saw the invitation. It said to wear an ugly holiday sweater."

"I'm wearing something underneath this. If I get hot I'm taking it off."

"Sure thing." She laughed as she put in a pair of obnoxious Christmas bulb earrings.

We had a car and driver for the night, mainly because we'd had a hell of a week, and the last thing we needed was me being carted off for drunk driving, but also because I didn't think there was a chance in hell I'd make it through the evening wearing this god awful outfit if I had to stay sober.

Sookie ran a brush threw her hair and I grinned. She looked hot even in that crazy sweater. The sight of her in those stretch pants was going to be torture. I told her how good she looked and said I'd have to keep an eye on her or Matt Damon might try to steal her from me.

She tsk'd at me, "Silly boy. His wife just had a baby. They won't be there."

I laughed and asked her if she still wanted to go.

"Of course I still want to go. It makes me happy to see you get all fanboy."

"Fanboy? Over Ben?" I laughed.

She smiled and stepped closer, stretching up to kiss me. "Jen told me Don Cheadle is coming."

I laughed as I pulled her into my arms. "I'll try not to embarrass you." I leaned down and kissed her again, thinking I really wouldn't have minded if she wanted to stay home. I could have kept her more than busy all night long.

The doorbell rang and we broke apart grinning. She straightened her hair and we went out to meet the driver. We enjoyed the drive, looking at Christmas lights and laughing as we talked about the best and worst gifts we'd received over the years.

The car dropped us off, and we followed Reese Witherspoon and her boyfriend, who were both wearing snowman sweaters, into the house. The house was tastefully decorated, which was in complete contrast with the tacky sweaters on all of the guests. Not to be outdone, Ben and Jen were wearing matching Rudolph sweaters with red noses that actually lit up.

We mingled as Sookie sipped on a Candy Cane martini, and I drank a beer, saying hello to everyone and pretending not to hear the murmurs of pleasant surprise at seeing us there. Sookie had been right, Don Cheadle was there, and I was floored when he called me by name. Sookie just squeezed my waist and smiled back at him, saying how great it was to see him again. Someone called his name and he turned away, then said over his shoulder that he'd talk to us later. I couldn't stop smiling, and Sookie gave me a look that clearly said, "I told you so."

We continued to move amongst the other guests and eventually settled in, chatting with Toby and Jennifer Maguire, Amanda Anka and Jason Bateman. After quietly asking if Sookie was okay, the conversation moved on to plans for the holidays and New Years Eve. Jennifer and Amanda thought it was romantic that I was surprising Sookie with our plans, and we both just grinned like fools, thinking they had no idea how romantic it would actually be.

Sookie asked what they had gotten their kids for the holidays, and Jennifer and Amanda told great stories about their children. I smiled down at Sookie, knowing how badly she wanted to be a mother. We hadn't really talked about when we wanted to start a family specifically, but I had a feeling we were both thinking about starting shortly after we said, "I do."

I left Sookie for a while when Ben was showing off his poker room. When I came back to the living room, she was standing off to the side with Jen talking quietly, then they hugged and stepped back, laughing and smiling. Sookie glanced up and saw me watching, giving me a small wave. We walked towards each other, and she stepped into my arms. She giggled and sloshed a little of her drink on the floor, and I wondered how many of the festive cocktails she'd had. Her hand slid up under my sweatshirt, gently moving up my chest. She bit her lip, and looked up at me. I'd almost forgotten how horny drunk Sookie was.

"I think I'm ready to go home."

"I ready to take you. Home that is." I winked.

She stood on her toes and ran her nose up my neck. "Take me."

I grabbed her hand and walked towards the door, setting my beer down on an entry table, then taking her martini out of her hand and depositing it next to my half empty bottle. We stepped outside, and the valet called for the car. The driver arrived, and we rode home in silence, giving each other sly looks, anxious to be alone. When we made it to the house, I picked her up and put her over my shoulder. I took her inside, and then I took her, over and over again.

We woke late, and I was anticipating Sookie's hangover, but after a cup of coffee she was fine. We read the paper, showered, and went to Whole Foods together. It was a nice day, with only a hint of anxiety over Sophie Anne's release. Late in the afternoon, Sookie was in the kitchen baking cookies and making lists of things she needed to do, pack, or get before the holidays and our New Years get-away-wedding. We were waiting to find out if Sophie Anne was being released from the hospital or if they were going to keep her longer. The police couldn't tell us anything, so we were waiting for her people to make some kind of statement, or for Pam's elves in the tabloid world to get the scoop and leak it to us minutes before TMZ went on the air with it.

When Sookie put the final tray of cookies in the oven, my phone rang, playing "Legs" by ZZ Top, and our eyes met.

"Do you want it on speaker?" Sookie nodded, and I answered. "Northman."

"She's out," Pam said in a sing-song voice and then continued normally. "But not for long. Her mother is taking her directly to a private facility for additional care."

"Her mother?" Sookie asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah, I know. Apparently Blackhart has refused to comment and now this? It's not a good sign, but who knows."

"What else?" I asked, knowing she had more to say but Sookie had sidetracked her with gossip.

Pam sighed. "I have a lead on the discharge papers, but nothing has been confirmed. My guy said I'm the first call when he gets them. He owes me; the photos he's made off of my tips have made him a lot of money."

I rolled my eyes even though she couldn't see me. It was such a ridiculous game in Hollywood.

Sookie sighed. "So that's all we know for now?"

"Yes. Diane is being pretty tight lipped, but she wanted you to know that they're trying to get her some help. She appreciated that we didn't just throw Sophie Anne under the bus."

"We should have," I muttered. Sookie smacked me on the arm, and I laughed. "Alright. Thanks, Pam. Keep us in the loop."

"I always do. Later."

I hung up the phone and leaned down, putting my elbows on the counter and looked across at Sookie who had taken a seat on a barstool.

"So?"

It wasn't big news, but the fact that Sophie Anne wasn't going to be wandering the streets of Hollywood for a little while longer made me feel better. I had no idea what Sookie was feeling.

She smiled. "It's good. I mean, they're going to figure out what's wrong with her and hopefully she'll get help."

"We might never know why. You know that, right?"

"I know."

"She might not get better, either. I mean, she'll be in therapy for a while, and she'll have to do what they tell her to, and I don't really see her following through with anything."

"That's kind of depressing."

"Sorry." I gave her a sad smile. "I'm just thinking ahead. I'm going to upgrade the security system."

"I want to take a self-defense class."

I grinned. I was so happy to hear her say that, I'd been nervous about her reaction if I suggested it.

"That sounds great. My gym has some classes. We could go together. I could workout while you take your class."

"Is there a discount for married couples?"

I chuckled and nodded, as I started to walk around the kitchen island to stand near her. "It is cheaper than getting memberships for two singles."

She tried to keep a straight face. "Good thing we're getting married then, eh?"

I put my arms around her and leaned forward to kiss her. "Yeah. It's a very good thing."

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**A/N: **

I think I would trust Eric with some of the wedding plans. What do you think? Hee hee.

After pre-reading, **TVgirl** asked if Ben and Jen really have an ugly sweater party at the holidays. The answer is: I have no idea. But if they don't they should!

Thanks for reading! Take a minute to review - and I'll do my best to get back to you!

Links:

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

http:/www(dot)uglychristmassweaterparty(dot)com/index(dot)html

Candy Cane Martini Recipe (This site has some awesome martini recipes!)

http:/www(dot)popartdiva(dot)com/MainPageImages/RecipeCards/Candy%20Cane%20Martini(d0t)jpg


	39. Ho! Ho! Ho!

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 39: Ho! Ho! Ho!**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

Big thanks as usual to everyone reading and reviewing. I feel like a jackass when I don't reply and it happens every week. What is that about? What does it mean? I can't figure out what my problem is. Sorry. I love it when you all tell me what you think.

Thanks to **A Redhead Thing**, **Sapfirerose**, **TVgirlSVM** as well as **Seastarr08** for betaing and prereading this chapter for me. I needed a little extra support with this one. LOL

So... our little couple has decided to move up the wedding date. What exactly could Eric be planning? Well, you'll have to wait a little longer to find out! Tee hee! Here's Christmas, Northman style.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

**SPOV**

The holidays were strange without snow. I wanted to be cold and feel like I wanted hot cocoa and to snuggle close to the fireplace, but it just wasn't that cold here. Eric offered to take me ice skating, but I declined. I didn't want to be in some ice arena with the air conditioning cranked up or outside in seventy degree weather at a fancy rink. I would rather skate outside on a lake, where it was so cold that my nose hairs froze and the air was so crisp that it burned to take a deep breath. I would have never believed that I missed that, but I did. Eric laughed, remembering winters as a kid, but promised I wouldn't miss it after living through a few mild California winters.

We were spending Christmas in Los Angeles, just the two of us. We'd talked about going to see Eric's parents, but with everything that had been going on, we both just wanted to relax. We didn't want to have to rush to the airport and deal with the crowds of people trying to get home for the holidays, or the paparazzi snapping pictures and yelling questions. Well, we didn't want to deal with it anymore than we had to. Eric had made all of the arrangements for our New Years trip, and all I knew was that we were leaving on the 27th.

Admittedly, I was a little freaked out to think that I didn't know where we were getting married, but Eric knew me well enough that I felt like wherever it was, I would be happy with it. I mean, the only hint he'd really given me was that it was hot. Hot required a beach as far as I was concerned, and a beach wedding would be perfect. Tray and Amelia would be there, as well as Pam, and it sounded like she was bringing a date, which I couldn't really argue with since she had completely changed her plans for New Years to be there with us.

We had a small Christmas tree, which Alcide was going to either water or take down while we were out of town, so the house was festive, but I didn't do much other decorating. I had put up a lot of my snowman collection, but it seemed a little odd in California where there wasn't any snow. Since we had other friends in town who were spending the holidays alone, we invited them over for Christmas Eve. Sam, Daph and Martini came over to watch movies and hang out. I made popcorn and Chex-mix and Eric had bought some specialty winter beers.

Martini was her usual festive self, wearing a red silk kimono style dress and singing "Jingle Bells" as she came in the house. She hugged and kissed me, looking me up and down. I was a little afraid she could tell I was lying to her when I said there hadn't been any progress in our wedding plans.

"I don't know what's wrong with you." She looked at Eric like a juicy steak. "I'd marry that hot piece of man in a heartbeat."

I laughed, hoping she wasn't going to be too upset when I called her New Years day. "Yeah, well. Don't get any ideas. He's still mine, so quit flirting."

"Pour me something to drink to keep my hands busy then, Princess!"

Eric quickly handed her a glass of wine, but she still leaned in and gave him a one armed hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas, lover boy!"

He shook his head and teased her right back, "Merry Christmas to you, sweet thing!"

Sam laughed from his spot over on the couch, and Eric raised an eyebrow as he stepped back from Martini. She winked at Eric and smiled at Sam. "You think you're safe? I know where Sook's hung the mistletoe."

We all laughed and settled in around the TV in the living room. I had suggested watching Christmas movies, like _A Christmas Story_ or the _Island of Misfit Toys_, but Eric didn't own either of them and my movie collection was still in Michigan. I had a list of things I needed Amelia to ship me, and was beginning to think I needed to just empty out the Saugatuck house, but it broke my heart to think about it.

Daph suggested watching _Love Actually_ because it happened around Christmas. Martini and I thought it was a great idea while both Eric and Sam groaned.

"Sorry, Daph. I don't have that either," Eric tried to sound apologetic.

I grinned. "Oh, but I have it!" I stood up and went to the mail basket in the kitchen and looked through several DVD's in red envelopes. "I ordered it from Netflix!"

Martini and Daph clapped and cheered both in excitement that we had the movie and at the misery etched on Sam and Eric's faces.

"I think the boys need more to drink before we start the movie," Martini laughed.

"I need a beer I.V." Sam joked.

I started the movie, and we all got comfortable, Daph and Sam on the love seat, Martini, Eric and I on the couch. Halfway through the movie, I felt strong hands massaging my feet. It felt delicious, and then after only a few seconds it stopped. I looked at Eric to tell him to keep going, and then died laughing. Martini had her hands in the air like she'd been busted by the cops for something and Eric was aiming his pissed off eyebrow at her.

"What the hell?" Sam asked.

"She put her hands in my lap!" Eric tried to sound upset, but his chest shook with laughter.

"I was rubbing Sook's feet!"

"You were trying to cop a feel!" Eric laughed.

I rubbed a hand over my face and joined them laughing. "Enough." I pointed a finger at Martini. "Boundaries. You are fully aware that this," I waved my hand in the air over Eric's crotch, "Is mine. Hands off."

"I was rubbing your feet!" she huffed.

I tried to keep a straight face. "That's for when it's just you and me. Okay? Eric gets a little possessive." I wasn't going to clarify if he was possessive of me or his privates.

She pursed her lips and gave a little head nod.

"It's like Springer here," Sam laughed and Daph hit him on the arm.

Eric extricated himself from the couch and went to the kitchen. "Who needs another drink?"

I followed him to the kitchen to help him get drinks, but really it was to give him a hug and kiss. "I'm sorry. I think it's just a sign she's really comfortable with you. Bill never hung out with us, so she could rub my feet all she wanted during movies."

He smiled at me. "It's fine. I just got startled when her big man hands were in my lap." He leaned down and kissed me sweetly. "But I won't turn down a kiss."

"You're missing the movie!" Daph called, teasing.

"I don't care!" Eric joked back, and I slapped his chest.

Sam looked over his shoulder at us. "I do, you're bringing me a beer!"

We all laughed and then got re-situated in the living room, this time with me sitting between Eric and Martini. The movie finished and we ended up watching the end of _It's a Wonderful Life_ on TV. I was surprised, although I don't know why, by how well Eric knew the movie and seemed to be able to recite the lines. When I teased him, he laughed.

"We watched this every year growing up. It's my mom's favorite."

"Aw. Should we call her?"

He laughed. "No. We'll talk to her enough tomorrow."

I wasn't exactly sure what that meant, and it didn't bode well that Sam was also laughing as Eric said it.

We sat talking, comparing Christmas traditions and telling funny stories about our families. Around 11 p.m., Sam and Daph got ready to leave so they could go to Midnight Mass at church, and Martini followed them out saying she needed her beauty sleep since she was getting up early to help serve Christmas meals at the mission.

I fell asleep snuggled with Eric a little after midnight. We had wished each other merry Christmas and laughed about how much our lives had changed in a year.

"Last year, I was getting divorced."

"And this year you're getting married." He laughed. "Last year I got drunk and slept on Sam's couch. He skipped church. Daph was a little pissed."

Eric's cell phone woke me from a dead sleep at 6:30 a.m.

"Hey, mom. Merry Christmas," he said quietly, not even sounding excited. "Yes. I know that when we were kids this is what time you let us get up to go open our stockings."

I rolled over to see his face, and he didn't even have his eyes open. I stifled a giggle and he opened one eye, then narrowed it at me.

"Sure, mom. I'll put you on speaker phone."

My eyes got wide, and he did just that.

"Sookie! Merry Chirstmas! Just think, next year you'll be a Northman for Christmas officially! I mean, you will be by then, right?"

Oh my god. She could make anything we talked about come back to the wedding. "I'm sure I will, Elsa. Just think, you'll be a grandmother by then, too!"

Eric's chest shook with laughter, but he didn't make a sound.

"I know! Isn't that great!" she squealed. I had no idea how she had that much energy at such an ungodly hour. "Jens and I are so excited to start having grandchildren! You'll be next."

Eric didn't hide his laughter anymore and chuckled out lout. "Okay, mom. That's enough for now. You need to call Chris, anyway. We'll talk to you later when we open your gifts. Tell dad merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas!" I called.

"Oh! Merry Christmas to both of you! Dad sends his love. Talk to you later!"

"Bye, mom."

He hung up the phone and put it on the night stand, then rolled back over to face me. "Good morning, Lover."

"Mmmm. Good morning." He leaned forward and kissed me sweetly, but suddenly, I pushed back at his chest. "Do I smell coffee?"

His lips moved along my jaw. "You do."

"Wait. Did you make me coffee?"

"Mmm," he said through kisses. "Better than that."

"What?" I wrinkled my nose. What was better than that?

"Sookie." He kissed my neck, and then his tongue swirled around my ear, and I moaned. He knew what his tongue in the ear did to me. "I'm trying to wish you merry Christmas."

"Will the coffee stay hot?" I said with my voice all breathy.

"Yes." He laughed.

"Then, merry Christmas to you, too."

A while later, I floated my way to the kitchen all blissed out. Eric certainly knew how to start Christmas morning with a bang. I stopped in the kitchen in front of the coffee maker, tilting my head, then slowly reaching out to touch it with my finger. Eric burst out laughing from behind me, where he was leaning on the doorway.

I stood there, stunned, looking at the greatest Christmas gift I had ever received. He knew how much I needed morning caffeine, well, I did when I didn't get to have hot sex with Eric first thing in the morning. He enjoyed coffee as well, so it was sort of a gift for both of us, but that didn't matter to me. It was a top of the line coffee maker. I'd seen them at Williams-Sonoma and drooled. I'd even told Bill how much I wanted one but couldn't see spending that much money on a coffee maker. Obviously, he'd never gotten me one, but Eric had on our first Christmas, and I'm pretty sure I'd never told him that I coveted it.

He came over and hugged me from behind, kissing the top of my head, and then grabbed my favorite mug off of the counter. It had a retro fifties lady on it and read, "Drink Coffee - Do Stupid Things Faster with More Energy." He poured coffee into the mug and handed it to me, grinning.

I wrapped my hands around the warm ceramic and inhaled before taking a sip. Sighing, I turned back to look at the new coffee maker again, in awe. "Did I forget to say thank you?"

He chuckled. "You have barely had a sip of coffee. I'll let it slide."

I nodded, taking another drink. "This is good coffee. Thank you." I angled my head at the machine. "Do you know how to work it?"

He stepped forward and showed me how to set the timer and set it up so that if we filled it with water and poured beans into it at night it would automatically grind them and make our coffee in the morning.

"Amazing. It's like my own coffee robot."

He chuckled. "Do you want to have breakfast or open our gifts?"

"Mmmm. I need some yogurt or something first. Sound good?"

"Sounds good."

He poured a cup of coffee for himself and we ate some Greek yogurt before heading to the living room and the tree. We sat on the floor and grinned at each other. He stretched forward and reached behind the tree to pull out a Tiffany blue gift bag that certainly hadn't been there before we went to bed. I raised an eyebrow at him. He didn't need to spend a lot of money on me, and he knew it, it just wasn't me, but I was not going to turn down anything from Tiffany's. He shrugged, and flashed me a silly grin.

I reached into the bag and pulled out a small square box tied with a ribbon. I pulled the ends of the bow and then opened the box, slowly lifting the lid and a layer of cotton. Inside was a simple silver beaded bracelet with the "Return to Tiffany's" heart tag. It was sort of the little black dress of Tiffany's jewelry, and I loved it. I leaned forward and gave him a thank you kiss, then sat back and reached into the boughs of the tree where I'd placed one of his presents.

He waggled his eyebrows. "I've been dying to know what this is. It's a weird shape."

I laughed. It wasn't really that strange of a shape. It was a short, round package taped to an envelope.

"Which should I open first?"

"Unwrap it and then look in the envelope." I grinned.

He quickly tore at the paper and pulled out the container and immediately burst into laughter. "Sex wax? Nice."

I laughed. "Open the envelope, pervert."

He tore into that and pulled out the certificate for private lessons at Malibu Long Boards Surf School. He grinned. "This is very cool, Sookie. Thank you."

"You're welcome. And the Sex Wax is for your surf board, not your other long board, big guy."

"I know what it is. I just had to-"

"Be perverted. I know." I laughed.

"If the shoe fits." He shrugged and then handed me another envelope off the tree.

I smiled and used my fingernail to run along the edge of the envelope and open it. I pulled out a post-card from the Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley and a gift certificate for three nights in one of their lodges. Also tucked into the envelope were brochures for the Niebaum-Coppola and Opus One wineries and the Wine Spectator Greystone restaurant. I smiled at Eric, excited to think about another opportunity for time away with him.

"Those are just suggestions. We can decide where we want to visit together." Then quietly he said, "I hope you enjoy California wine as much as you do your Michigan wine."

"I'm sure I will." I bit my lip, trying not to tear up. I loved that he put so much thought into the gift. "This is great. Thank you. I can't wait for us to have a weekend when we can go." I exhaled, and reached forward for Eric's last gift. It was another gift certificate, and it was silly, but I thought it was something he might like.

He ripped the paper off and quickly had the box open, just like he'd done with his other gift. He pulled out a stuffed animal and wrinkled his brows at me.

"There's more. It will make sense."

He reached into the box again and pulled out some papers including a certificate from the Save the Manatee Club saying that he had adopted a manatee in Florida named Howie for the year. He grinned at me with the stuffed manatee under his arm and looked at the literature about the Adopt a Manatee program. Then read to me about Howie the manatee, as if I hadn't read it when I picked him out.

"Howie is a sleek, large male, weighing over a thousand pounds who has been known to winter at the Manatee park since 1971. One of Howie's favorite activities is to tip the research canoe - complete with researchers in it!" He grinned. "Sookie, this is really cool."

I grinned at his excitement. "I thought you'd like it. I looked into adopting a whale here in California, but you don't really get to adopt a specific one. My parents did this for me and Jason the year we went to Florida on vacation so we could stop and try to see our manatees while we were there."

"Did you?"

I laughed. "No. We saw some manatees, but we had no idea which ones they were. They were all just these huge gray spots under the water and sometimes you saw their nose or something sticking out of the water."

"That's a great memory," he said quietly.

I blinked back tears. "Yeah. Sorry. That's not what this was about. I just really thought you would think it was cool."

He put his arms around me, and I curled into his lap. "It _is_ really cool. You are amazing. You know that?"

I smiled into his neck. I didn't think I was amazing, but I knew he did. The feeling was mutual.

"So," he said quietly. I have something else for you that isn't really a Christmas present, just something for you that I know you'll like."

I sat back and gave him a small smile. "You didn't need to get me anything else. You didn't need to get me anything at all, really."

"I know. And I love that about you." He stood and pulled me up with him, leading me down the hallway. "Just come with me. I didn't really get you anything else." He laughed. "You'll see."

He took me into the spare bedroom, and I had no idea what he was going to show me. Nothing looked different about the room, so I raised an eyebrow at him. He smirked, and then opened the sliding closet doors. Cardboard boxes, maybe ten of them.

I looked over at him and then stepped forward, trying to see what they were. They were all addressed from Amelia. I looked back at him again. "Eric, what is all of this?"

"Open one of the boxes."

I hesitated, but pulled on the flaps of one that had previously been cut open. There were a lot of packing peanuts, but I moved them out of the way and picked up the top item in the box. It was wrapped in tissue paper and bubble wrap. I peeled back the layers and suddenly realized what I held. I closed my eyes and held the frame to my chest. It was the picture of me, Gran and Jason from the mantle in the Saugatuck house.

"These boxes. They're full of my things?" I was so overcome with emotion I could hardly speak.

"Yes." His arms came around me and he held me while I let myself cry for a minute.

"Thank you," I said, wiping my eyes. "I don't even know what to say. What all is in there?"

He gave me a crooked smile. "I'm not entirely sure. I found your list and passed it on to Amelia and told her to send other things she knew you liked."

"Wow." I laughed. I couldn't wait to look through the boxes, but I had something else to give him as well. "Did Amelia say anything weird to you?"

"Define weird," he joked.

"Well. I asked her to send me something for you, too. It's not really a Christmas present either."

"Really? That's kind of funny."

"I know. Right? Wait here a second."

I went into our bedroom and grabbed the small box out of my underwear drawer. I wasn't sure if he'd already bought one, but I was hoping that since we'd just decided on getting married so recently that he hadn't had time yet. I went back into the guest room and held the box out to him.

"This is for you. I hope you like it."

He took the black velvet box and looked at me questioningly.

"It was my dad's," I said quietly as he opened it.

His eyes met mine for a second and then he looked down. "Oh, Sook. Wow. Thank you." He gently took my fathers' wedding band out of the box and slipped it onto his index finger to look at it more closely. It was simple; brushed white gold, with millgrain edging.

"You don't have to wear it if you have something else picked out," I said quickly. Pam had gotten it sized for me since she knew Eric's sizes for everything.

"What? No, this is perfect. I had one in mind, but I'd rather wear this." He slid it on his ring finger and it fit well. "Jason didn't want it?"

"No. It got put in the same box with my mom's rings and of those all came to me. When I married Bill I went through the jewelry box, and I asked Jason if he wanted it, but he said I should keep it."

"Thank you. Really. I love it."

I could hardly tear my eyes away from his hand. It was amazing how different it looked with the small band on his finger. "I'm really glad that we're getting married soon. I don't want to wait anymore."

He held his hand out in front of him, examining it with the ring. He tried to keep a straight face, but the corner of his mouth lifted. Then he put his hands on either side of my face and leaned down to kiss me. "Me, too."

The morning was slipping away, and I was cooking us a Christmas lunch, so we headed back to the kitchen and living room. I was making a small turkey breast along with some oyster stuffing that had been a tradition at our house, fresh cranberry sauce, roasted new potatoes, and home made rolls. I did most of the prep work the day before, including making a grasshopper pie, which had initially grossed Eric out until I stopped laughing long enough to explain that the grasshopper part was actually crème de menthe. We'd had it every New Years when I was growing up, and since we weren't going to be home then, I decided to make one for Christmas.

As I worked in the kitchen and Eric set up the laptop to Skype with his parents, I asked him if he was going to call his brothers, and he said that they had a ritual for that too. After lunch Eric would call Chris, then Chris would call Sven, and when they were done, Sven would call Eric. I laughed and asked if he'd ever heard of three way calling.

When I got the turkey in the oven and Eric had everything set up on the computer, I joined him in the living room. I hadn't Skyped before, so it was a little strange, but there were Elsa and Jens, waving through the camera at us. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!" we called, waving back.

"We can't hear you. Jens, fix the computer. Why can't we here them?"

The fiddled around with the computer and Eric muttered, "They have it on mute."

After a few minutes of listening to Elsa give Jens directions on how to try to fix the connection, we saw him move the mouse and then we heard him say, "You turned the volume off again, Els."

Eric and I laughed, and Jens gave us the Northman eyebrow.

"Just you wait." He laughed. "Someday, this will be the two of you."

We opened the gifts they'd sent for us; a book for me about the cheeses of France that I was oddly excited about, a Star Wars Darth Vader Mr. Potato Head for Eric that we were going to have to talk about because I had no idea that he liked Star Wars, which I loved, and fleece jackets for both of us from L.L. Bean.

They opened their gifts from us, which were an antique bar set for Jens that I'd found while shopping with Holly one day and the accessory pack for Elsa's Kitchen Aid mixer that I couldn't believe she didn't already have.

As soon as the gift opening was finished, Elsa's inquisition began, but I was prepared for it. Although I had to admit that I hadn't really understood when Eric asked if I could keep our wedding plans a secret that we'd be talking to her repeatedly on Christmas day and Skyping face to face. I answered in ways that were vague, but honest, and it made us both happy.

"Have you set a date?"

"We're getting closer." I grinned, and Eric squeezed my hand out of the view of the web cam.

"Well, have you found a location? That will probably determine your date."

"You're probably right. Eric has a couple of ideas about that."

"That's good. Have you been dress shopping yet?"

"I have, but I didn't find anything. I might go with something less traditional."

"Okay, okay. I guess you're at least thinking about it." She laughed.

"We are definitely thinking about it, Mom," Eric added.

We talked a little more and then all finished with a round of 'I love yous' and Elsa told Eric to call Chris after lunch. It was all really sweet, even the questions this time, because I knew it was the last time I would hear them, until I got pregnant.

oo00oo00oo00oo

**A/N: **

Oh, Elsa. How we love your nosy obsession with your son's lives. tee hee. We all know someone who has a mom like that. I hope you enjoyed their Christmas and it wasn't too cheesey. I was a little worried about it, but there wasn't anything I felt I was willing to cut - thus my need for additional support this week. Thanks again girls. I won't keep you hanging too long. I'm working on the next chapter and they have arrived at the vacation location...Good, sunny times are ahead!

Thanks again! Drop me a note if you feel like it.

OH - below are the 12,000 links for this chapter; if you're into that kind of thing.

LINKS

There are a gazillion for this chapter (most importantly - the pie recipe and the coffee maker are first. LOL)

Grasshopper Pie - this is pretty close to the recipe my mom uses

http:/allrecipes(Dot)com/Recipe/Creme-de-Menthe-Grasshopper-Pie/Detail(Dot)aspx

Capresso CoffeeTeam GS

http:/capresso(d0t)com/coffee-makers-coffee-team-gs(dot)shtml

I have to admit that I have this coffee maker, well, its great grandfather. I bought it at a thrift store for $20. It pays to shop around.

Malibu Long Boards

http:/www(Dot)malibulongboards(Dot)com/

CIA at Greystone

http:/www(dot)ciachef(dot)edu/california/

Niebaum-Coppola / Rubicon Estate

http:/www(Dot)rubiconestate(Dot)com

Opus Winery

http:/www(Dot)opusonewinery(Dot)com/

Save the Manatee Club

http:/www(Dot)savethemanatee(Dot)org/


	40. Aloha!

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 40: Aloha**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers! I'll be enjoying turkey on the grill a la my father-in-law on Thursday. Let's hope the man doesn't burn the house down.

Some of you were spot on for the location of the vacation/wedding! Many of you were worried about Elsa, I wasn't going to totally shut her out! You'll see...

Thanks to the betas most fabulous **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose** and to **TVgirlSVM** for prereading and giving me the local 411.

Oh, and for** IkeaGoddess** - Zog's Sex Wax www(dot)sexwax(dot)com

**`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··._.·`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··._.·**

**EPOV:**

I asked Sookie if she had everything as I carried her suitcase to the car.

She laughed. "I think so, but someone won't tell me where we're going."

"Someone said they trusted me."

"I do! But you have to admit this is a little strange."

"Lover, what about our relationship isn't strange?"

"True. Very true," she said as she climbed in.

Traffic was surprisingly light on the way to the airport, and before I knew it we were standing in line to check in for our flight to Maui. Sookie's face broke into a huge smile, and I was relieved because I wasn't sure if she'd been expecting an exotic destination like Fiji or even something a little farther away from us like Jamaica or the Bahamas. I hadn't wanted to spend our whole trip in an airplane though, and I knew from my family in the Midwest that trips to Hawaii weren't nearly as common as they were here. It wasn't that everyone in California had been to Hawaii, but you could get cheaper flights, and it made for a great place for long weekends if you were willing to deal with the elevated cost of living on the islands when you got there because practically everything had to be flown in.

"Oh my god! I'm so excited!" Sookie practically vibrated with enthusiasm.

We got checked in and headed for our gate. I smiled and nodded at a number of fans that pointed or waved, but thankfully no one stopped us. We made our way to the VIP lounge to wait for our flight.

"Okay," Sookie said, still grinning. "We could tour a pineapple farm and go to a coffee plantation. Oh! And maybe we could see a volcano!"

I shook my head. "We need to squeeze a wedding in, too."

"Oh yes. We'll squeeze that in too!" Her hands came up to my face, and she kissed me soundly. "Are you going to tell me anything more about that?"

I smiled at her, not oblivious to the others in the VIP lounge, but not caring what they thought about the two of us snuggling and having this quiet conversation. "What more is there to tell you?" I teased.

"Um. A lot."

"Actually, Lover, there isn't." I chuckled. "We have an appointment first thing in the morning with a wedding planner who will allow you to make the final decisions on just about everything; the location, the time of day, flowers, your dress. That's all up to you."

"It is?"

I nodded. "Yup. Pam found us a planner, Isabel. She and I talked with her last week. I had to order our dinner, but I just went with traditional Hawaiian, which I figured you would love. I ordered a small cake too, but if you really hate it we can work something else out. As far as everything else goes, she'll have a few things for you to choose from, and then we'll be all set."

"Wow. You really are the greatest. You know that?"

"I do my best." I waggled my eyebrows. "So, you want to see a pineapple farm and a coffee plantation?"

"I guess. I'll check over some brochures when we get there. Anything you want to do?"

"We should go to Lahaina, it's a historic town with lots of shops and touristy stuff, and I was thinking about a helicopter tour. But other than that, nothing. I'm just looking forward to rubbing sunscreen on you and getting married."

"Really? You're not looking forward to married sex?"

I grinned. "That's a given."

She laughed loudly and leaned forward to kiss me one more time before our flight was called.

We had a direct flight to Maui, during which Sookie fell asleep and I read over a script for a while. When we touched down, we grabbed our bags, and I led us toward the rental car area. Sookie looked at me strangely.

"There's no shuttle to the resort?"

"Resort?" I laughed. "Now, that's not very private."

Her eyes were wide but definitely excited.

"We're staying at the Wailea Sunset Estate on Makena Beach, which is really just a house. It has a smaller bungalow on its grounds that Pam, her friend, and the Dawson's can stay in when they get here tomorrow." I finished taking care of the car rental and glanced over at Sookie. "Quit looking at me like that, and close your mouth." I laughed.

"I'm just amazed. How did you do all of this?"

"Truth? We were booked at a smaller place, and when I called about having the others join us we lucked into this place because someone had just cancelled."

"Wow."

"The stars do seem to align for us, don't they?"

We made our way to the car, which was actually a Jeep, and loaded in our luggage. I used the GPS app on my phone to give us directions to the house; it was about fifteen miles from the airport, and we headed out. Sookie was staring out the window taking everything in.

"It shouldn't be that different from California. I mean, we're not _that_ far away. But it is. It's so...tropical," she giggled. "And some of the names of things. I need a lesson in speaking Hawaiian!"

"Well, you need to learn how to say Hau'oli Makahiki Hou, for sure."

"Gesundheit," she laughed. "I have no idea what you said."

I glance at her quickly and grinned. "I said happy New Year."

"Oh hell. I do need to learn that."

I said it again slowly, sounding out each syllable. "How-oh-lee ma-ka-hee-key ho."

"I'll keep working on that. Now, exactly how is it that you know how to say it?"

I laughed. "We came for the holidays a couple of times when I was a kid. I learned it back then. It just stayed with me."

"That's pretty impressive, Northman."

"Well, I do make my living remembering lines."

"That you do."

We pulled up to the house and Sookie looked around, taking everything in. "Ready?" I asked after she didn't make a move to get out.

"Oh, yeah." She giggled and opened the door.

We took our things in and while I found my way to the master suite to put our bags down, Sookie walked straight though the house and sat down on a lounge chair. I found her there a few minutes later, stretched out, eyes closed.

"Hi," I said, squatting down beside her. She smiled but didn't open her eyes. "Want to get into your swimsuit?"

"Mmmm."

"We have dinner reservations at seven."

Her eyes opened and she gave me a tired smile. "So you're saying that I should get moving?"

"I'm saying we have dinner reservations in three hours," I winked. "I'm going to change. I'll be right back out."

When I came out of the bathroom she was in the bedroom changing into her bikini. I grinned at her and rifled in my bag for some sunscreen. We made our way back outside and relaxed, enjoying the peace and quiet. It was not unlike some afternoons we had spent together in Los Angeles, but being on vacation and not feeling like we needed to check our phones every time they chirped or vibrated was even better.

A little while later, I woke to Sookie's hair tickling my chest as she leaned over me. I pulled her down on me, and her sun screen covered body slipped over mine. "I'm going to shower and get ready for dinner. What should I wear?"

I pulled at the strings on her bikini. "I prefer you in nothing, Lover."

She giggled and tried to sit up, which moved her breasts closer to my mouth. I stretched my neck forward and kissed her chest as I tried to peel away her top.

"Stop!" She laughed, wiggling away, her top falling down in the process. She crossed her arms over her breasts to cover herself and gave me a dirty look. "Dinner attire?"

I sighed. "A sundress."

I was regretting our reservations and wishing I could just sit with her on our lanai and eat a salad or something that we made together. However, this was our only night alone before our friends arrived, and I wanted to take her out to enjoy Maui together as well.

After I figured she was done in the shower, I went in and got ready to go. I was a little nervous at having chosen the restaurant for dinner, but I had done some research and thought she would like it. We drove just a few minutes to the Grand Wailea Resort and walked through the hotel to the Humu restaurant. It was thatch roofed and floated on a salt water lagoon full of tropical fish. The menu was heavily Hawaiian and Polynesian, and I had a feeling Sookie was going to be very excited about her first taste of their styles of food.

Sookie was taking everything in, grinning and totally oblivious to the tourists staring at us. I loved that about her, that she could get so distracted and excited about things that she could ignore the weirdness that surrounded me. Well, she could when it was quiet. I figured that now that we'd been spotted at the hotel someone would call in the paparazzi, and there would be at least one of them waiting for us when we left after dinner.

We checked in at the hostess stand and were quickly taken to a table for two out of the way, but still along the railing near the water. Sookie looked over her menu while I gazed at her. I had no idea what I wanted to order, but watching her face as she read over the menu was captivating. A couple of times I heard her say things like, "Oh, my," and "That sounds wonderful!" After a few minutes she glanced up and caught me watching.

"What are you doing?"

I shrugged. "Just watching your reactions as you read through the menu."

"Do you know what you're going to order?'

"No," I laughed. "I'm thinking I'll let you choose two entrées, and we can share them."

"You don't have to do that!"

"Are you having a hard time deciding?"

The corner of her mouth lifted. "Maybe."

"Then that's what we'll do. Do you want appetizers?"

"I do, but I don't want to eat too much. How about the ceviche? I always enjoy that."

I glanced at the menu and laughed when I read what it said about the ceviche. "Never met an avocado you didn't like, did you?"

She ducked down, a little embarrassed that I knew the reason she chose that item. It was fresh caught fish marinated in coconut milk and lime juice, with mango, avocado and hearts of palm. Sookie had little resistance for all things avocado, and the mango just sweetened the deal for her.

"It sounds great, Sookie. What are you thinking about for dinner?"

She bit her lip, thinking. "How about the Tasmanian salmon and the braised Kobe short ribs?"

I smiled; they had both looked good to me as well. "Fine."

We ordered and talked quietly as we waited. Sookie had looked through some tourist magazines she had grabbed at the airport, and we talked about the different things that we wanted to do. The ceviche arrived and we enjoyed it. The atmosphere was relaxing and romantic, and we found ourselves discussing the wedding. We seemed to be on the same page, wanting a low-key beach ceremony near sunset, and Sookie couldn't wait to meet with Isabel in the morning to plan it out.

Our main courses arrived and they smelled, as well as looked, wonderful. The beef was melt in your mouth, and the seasoning on the salmon was delicious; according to Sookie, it was just the right blend of spices and pepper, cooked to perfection.

As we ate, we sipped wine and talked about her gift certificate for Calistoga Ranch and the wineries we should visit. We laughed, because we were on vacation and were already planning our next trip. There were restaurants that Sookie wanted to try and Chef's she wanted to meet, and I wondered just how relaxing the weekend would be, but I was beginning to recognize that Sookie liked to plan, but also had no problem lying in the sun and doing nothing. In fact, there were times that she would consider her time in the sun a necessity.

By the time we finished our meals, the restaurant was almost entirely empty. There was only one other couple still talking over coffee, and when Sookie saw the woman blush and grin at the sight of me, she directed us towards them, calling out, "Happy holidays!" I noticed she didn't even try the Hawaiian we'd been practicing and grinned.

They were a nice couple from Fresno, and the wife was a huge fan of Bloodlust. We took a couple of pictures with them, and Sookie cracked me up when she asked the woman to take a picture of the two of us on her cell phone.

As I predicted, there were photographers waiting for us, and they began to harass us as we waited for the car.

"How are the wedding plans?"

"Have you set a date?"

"What are your plans for New Years?"

"What did you give each other for Christmas?"

We ignored them, and I rubbed a hand over Sookie's lower back. The Jeep arrived, and we headed back to the house. I realized that going to dinner had been a mistake, because as the cars fell into line behind us, I knew I would need Isabel to meet us at the house. There was no way we could show up at her office and keep our plans a secret.

By the time we made it home, we were both exhausted after the long day. I shot Isabel a quick text, knowing she was flexible and on board with keeping our secret. We fell into bed in the master suite with the windows open, listening to the rhythmic sounds of the ocean.

I felt like I had barely laid my head on the pillow when the alarm on Sookie's phone went off. Sookie moved out of my arms and then suddenly, as I was wiping sleep from my face, I felt her bouncing on the bed. I looked at her in confusion. I knew she hadn't had coffee yet, so her rapid movement this early in the day was akin to a miracle.

"Morning!"

"Mmm. It is. What's gotten into you?"

"We get to make our wedding plans this morning!"

I laughed at her excitement. "That we do, Lover."

She grinned, radiating happiness. "I'm getting in the shower."

Then she hopped off the bed, heading for the bathroom, stripping off her tank top as she went. I may have been half asleep, but with my crazy filming schedules our shared shower time had been severely lacking. I stretched and climbed out of bed, going to join Sookie in the already steamy bathroom to do my part for the environment by conserving water.

After a long shower that didn't end up saving any water, we raided the stocked refrigerator and had yogurt and fruit while Sookie got high from the smell of Kona coffee brewing. Isabel arrived as we were putting the dishes in the dishwasher, and Sookie could hardly contain her excitement. I thanked her for coming to us for the meeting and she laughed, saying that she'd had a feeling that might happen.

"Maui is an island, you know? Not much is private here, but we try."

We sat at a table on the lanai, and Isabel let Sookie and I tell her what we wanted our ceremony to be like. She smiled and nodded, agreeing that it was simple and elegant and she would have no problem pulling it off. We talked a little bit about the food she had ordered for us. We would have the basic dishes for a luau for our wedding feast with our friends, which she would personally drop off so no one was tipped off to the wedding until Pam released the news.

Isabel asked if I needed to leave so they could talk about Sookie's dress and we nodded, saying 'yes' at the same time.

I made my way inside and headed to the bedroom. Sitting down on the bed, I took a deep breath, and called my dad. I'd talked to my mom before our flight the day before, and she told me she would be shopping all morning, so I knew it was safe to call.

Not having my parents at our wedding was going to be a big deal, and ideally, I would have loved to have the whole family there, but there had been too much going on and too many chances for things to get fucked up. I wanted to marry Sookie, and that was the most important thing in my life.

My dad answered the phone on the first ring.

"Hey, dad."

"Hey! What's going on, son?"

"You got a minute? I need to talk with you."

"Sure, I'm just reading the business section."

"So, I need to let you in on something mom's not going to be happy about."

He was quiet for a second. "If you broke up with Sookie, you're going to have to tell her yourself."

I laughed out loud at that. "No, dad. No. That's not it. It's just that, well we're in Maui, you know? And we're going to get married here. The only one's here will be Amelia and Tray and Pam and her date."

Dad was quiet for a minute. "Yeah, she's not going to like that."

"I know, but we want to get married and we don't want to wait."

He sighed. "I understand, but you know we could have joined you."

"I do, but we didn't really decide that this was what we wanted to do until just before Christmas."

"Sophie Anne?"

"Yeah. Anyway, listen, we talked about it and even though you won't be here, we want you to be a part of it."

"I'm not following."

"I'm going to send you a link so you can watch it on a web cam."

He didn't say anything for a minute, then he said, "Son, I appreciate what you are doing, but you know it's not going to be good enough for your mom. And what about your brothers?"

"I know, dad, but it's this or she sees the pictures later. It's what we want to do. And I'm setting something up with Chris and Sven so they'll get to watch, too."

My dad exhaled loudly. "You're right. I guess I'm just being selfish."

"It's not selfish, dad." I said quietly. "But it's just how things have worked out."

"I know, I know." He laughed. "Listen, I'll do everything I can to smooth things over with your mother on this end, but I'm telling you now, that woman is going to camp out at your house the entire last month Sookie is pregnant with your first child. There will be no reasoning with her."

We talked a few minutes more, and I told him I'd send him the link as soon as Isabel had it all set up. He suggested that in order to get mom to watch online, he would tell her that we were going to Skype before Sookie and I went out for the night, and it was perfect.

I could hear Sookie and Isabel in the guest room down the hall, and I made my way back out to the kitchen and grabbed a banana for a snack. I sat down with my script and made some notes. After a few minutes, the girls met me in the dining room looking quite pleased with themselves.

"Do we have a winner?" I laughed.

Sookie giggled, and Isabel said, "Yes, and it's perfect."

I smiled. "That's great." Sookie came to stand next to me, her hand automatically moved to the back of my neck. "Thank you for all of your help, Isabel. We'll be in touch the morning of the wedding to iron out the timeline."

"That sounds great. I have a few phone calls to make, but I'm going to head home from here in case anyone tries to follow me. I have my sisters' car today as well, she works at the Grand Wailea, so no one will know I was here."

"Thank you." Her thoughtfulness was commendable.

Sookie stepped towards her and gave her a hug. "Thanks so much."

"You are so welcome, Sookie. It's been a pleasure meeting both of you. I'll send the dresses for the other girls over with Charlsie when she brings you more groceries."

Seriously, I didn't know how Pam found this woman, but she was amazing. She waved and let herself out. Sookie turned and crawled into my lap grinning.

"So, still excited?" I asked.

"Yes." She nodded. "I think it's going to be great. What did your dad say?"

"He said payback's a bitch."

"What?"

I smiled. "He said you'd better prepare the guest room for an invasion when you get pregnant."

She threw her head back laughing, her long hair tickling my arm as I held her. "Oh yeah. That sounds like your mom."

About an hour later, we were out by the pool when my cell phone rang.

"Stop what you're doing and pour me a drink."

"Hello to you too, Pam."

"The GPS says we'll be there in three minutes."

"Sounds good. Did you have a good flight?"

"We did. And mysteriously, my new girlfriend and Sookie's girlfriend have seriously bonded. Tray and I need alcohol, stat."

I laughed. "Well, at least they're getting along."

"They drank on the plane, and now they're talking about my lingerie."

"I'm sure you wear very nice lingerie," I managed to say without laughing. Sookie was listening, dying to know what we were talking about.

I heard some background noise on the phone and Pam sighed. "Alright. We're pulling in. See you in a few minutes."

Sookie and I stood, heading inside and through the house to meet them. We waited at the door as we watched their Jeep finish coming up the drive. Sookie waved like crazy and Amelia jumped out and ran over to her, giving her a big hug. They were chattering nonstop before Tray, Pam, and her girlfriend made it over to us. She was a tall blonde, thinner than Pam, with a bright smile and deep brown eyes. I smiled, expecting Pam to introduce her friend, but Amelia beat her to it.

"Oh my god, you guys! This is Phoebe, Pam's friend! She's from Iowa, but Sookie, she went to Northwestern!"

Pam held back a growl. "And she's an attorney in L.A."

Phoebe smiled and laughed, clearly not minding Amelia's excitement. "It's okay, Pam." She rolled her eyes and then turned to us. "Thanks so much for including me, and congratulations. I know this is a private affair."

"You're welcome," I said, shaking the hand she reached out to me, and then she stepped over to Sookie, who gave her a hug. "Let me show you all the bungalow where you're staying, and we can meet back here for some lunch. Sound good?" Pam raised an eyebrow at me, and I put an arm around her as we headed outside. "I'll make you a Mai Tai when we get back. Promise."

Pam, Tray, and I jumped into the Jeep while the Midwesterners walked over to the bungalow, talking like old friends. The wedding celebration had officially begun.

**`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··._.·`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··._.·**

**A/N:**

WOOT! Mai Tai's and web cam's! LOL I hope everyone feels a little better about Elsa, I didn't realized how protective you all were. Next up, a little sight seeing and, what do you know? A wedding!

Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing! Things are getting busy in my RL, so I'm gonna tell you right now I'm going to struggle to respond, but thank you in advance for dropping me a line. You guys are the greatest!

Links for this chapter!

Wailea Estate

http:/www(dot)tropicalvillavacations(dot)com/thumbnails(d0t)html?data=fs-bf-waileasunsetestate(D0t)js

How to Speak Hawaian:

http:/www(Dot)bio-beetle(dot)com/hawaiianlanguage(dot)htm

Humu

http:/www(dot)grandwailea(dot)com/resort-dining/humu(dot)cfm


	41. Tying the Knot

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 41: Tying the Knot**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

And here we are...the special Hawaiian wedding. (Sorry, **Slackerdee**, no one gets a case of the hulas! LOL) I hope that you enjoy it as much as Eric and Sookie. I tried to make it as authentic as I could, but having never been to Hawaii, I'm doin' the best I can.

HUGE props to **TVgirlSVM** as usual for her help with the local info. Big props to Google, too.*snort* I googled like a madwoman to write this chapter. HUGE thanks to my betas **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose** for making this readable. HUGE viking thanks to **Lubadub** for her fashion assistance with wedding attire - **A Redhead Thing, Seastarr08,** and I couldn't have done it without her! P.S. CS - we all want that J Crew dress now.

(Why do I keep saying HUGE today? Hm. No idea.)

We are gathered here today for the wedding of our dear friends, Eric and Sookie. Who supports this couple in their marriage? WE DO!

00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00

**SPOV**

Amelia and I made lunch, chicken Caesar salads and a sandwich for Tray, and Eric mixed up a batch of Mai Tai's. We talked about our plans for the next two days, mapping out who wanted to do what and talking about our plans for the New Years Eve day before the wedding. I went over the timeline for the wedding and dinner, then Pam told us all that she'd gotten us tickets to a party at Mulligan's on the Blue. I had no idea that she had done that, and Eric grinned at my reaction, saying that while he was glad our friends were willing to join us for our wedding, he knew that they would love to go out for the night as well, so he'd asked Pam to find us a party. Mulligans' was an Irish bar and it sounded like a great time; she'd arranged for a car so no one had to drive.

We decided to head north to Maui Tropical Plantation, or MTP, for the afternoon since we already had tickets to hop over to Oahu the following morning, and that would take up the whole day. Pam and Phoebe wanted to check out a beach nearby in Makena that they'd heard was topless, so they decided not to come with us to the plantation. Eric threatened that he wouldn't pay their bail if they got arrested, but they just laughed and headed off on their own, planning to meet us for dinner.

We loaded into the Jeep with Tray and Amelia, heading north on Piilani Highway. The drive was beautiful, and I was excited because MTP raised, among other things, pineapples and coffee, so it included two of the things I wanted to see. There was even a tram at MTP that took you on a forty-five minute tour of the sixty-acre plantation. Eric took some pictures with fans as we waited for the tour to start, and I stood off to the side chatting with Tray and Amelia. Eventually it was time to board the tram, and he extricated himself from the small group of fans to join us. As we rode around the farm, Amelia and I read each other silly facts from the brochure.

"Mango trees take five years to bear fruit but will produce for 100 years."

"Guava juice has five times more vitamin C than orange juice."

"Pineapples ripen from the bottom up."

Eric looked over his shoulder at Tray. "Are they always like this?"

He smiled. "Yeah. Originally they did it to irritate Bill, now they think it's fun."

"It is fun." I laughed.

"We like to learn." Amelia tried to sound serious.

"They read billboards, too. Haven't you noticed?" Tray asked.

"Oh man, Sookie does it when it's just the two of us. I can only imagine what it's like with both of them."

Amelia and I smiled sweetly. "You love us," I joked. Eric put his arm around me and pulled me close, rubbing his hand over my hair, laughing.

We finished the tour and bought some coffee and fruit before driving back to the house. Tray and Amelia went to their bungalow for a while, and we relaxed at our own place before dinner. Eric had made us reservations at Joe's. It was in Wailea, and according to Eric was casual and served great fresh, local food. I knew that Bev Gannon was the chef there, and I was thrilled to try her food. Eric had done a great job choosing restaurants for us. I knew that he'd always been sort of a foodie, but I really appreciated that he put some thought into the restaurants we visited on our trip.

Eventually, we all met at the big house and headed for the restaurant. Phoebe was a little sunburned and pouty, and Pam teased her saying she would have been glad to put more sunscreen on her. She asked for an aloe rubdown later, and Pam just winked.

"Enough. Let's go to dinner before you two decide you're hungry for something else." Eric laughed.

Pam raised an eyebrow, and Phoebe giggled. We took two cars and drove to the restaurant. Eric checked us in, and I looked around in awe. The restaurant was on top of the Wailea Tennis Club and had an amazing view. One side of the restaurant looked out at the ocean, and the other side had a gorgeous view of Hale'akala, but I could hardly draw my eyes away from the interior. The restaurant was open-air and had plank floors, chunky mahogany tables and a giant copper bar. It was gorgeous and homey, and I was in heaven. If the restaurant looked this beautiful, I could only imagine how good the food was going to be.

We ended up ordering an assortment of appetizers and main courses, although Tray insisted on Joe's meatloaf, and he wasn't thrilled with sharing. Among our starters, the crab cakes were delicious, and I almost stole the plate of Ahi carpaccio for myself. When dinner arrived, the herb stuffed chicken breast and pumpkin crusted fresh catch were our favorites. Tray's meatloaf was great too, but he only let me have a small taste.

The evening went by in a flash. We talked as we ate, and the addition of Phoebe to our group didn't seem to make any impact on the way we joked and caught up, laughing and teasing each other relentlessly. It was just what I needed. I was glad that we had decided to have our friends join us for the wedding. All that really mattered to me was that Eric and I were getting married, but having them with us made everything feel so much more real. It was like if we had eloped and had no one there with us, I could have convinced myself that I'd imagined everything, but having them there, making fun of me for planning to change my name for the second time in less than a year, not even I could deny what was happening.

It wasn't that I was denying it, or pretending that it wasn't happening, but I still felt like I needed to pinch myself everyday to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Six months ago I'd been moving to Michigan, trying to get my head around being officially divorced, and now I was living in Los Angeles, going to Ben Affleck's Christmas party, and marrying one of the hottest men on television. It boggled my mind.

In the morning, we all took a quick flight over to Oahu to check out Waikiki. Eric and I took a helicopter tour of the island as soon as we got there. He said that he heard if you waited until the afternoon you were more likely to have your trip cancelled because of the wind. The island was gorgeous, with an amazing variety of landscapes. We saw mountains and volcanoes, lush green forests, beautiful blue waterfalls, Pearl Harbor and the never ending ocean, and the modern cityscape of Honolulu.

Eventually, we met back up with our friends at the beach. Although the main drag was really no different than Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Waikiki was beautiful, and we enjoyed leisurely shopping and taking in the sun. There were a few people snapping pictures of us as we walked, but it was just American tourists and they were all respectfully keeping a distance. I was a little disappointed by how commercial Waikiki was, if I wanted to shop at Louis Vuitton or Jimmy Choo I only had to drive into Beverly Hills; in Hawaii I wanted to shop at locally owned stores and buy things native to the islands. It was nice though, spending time relaxing with friends.

We joked and talked, continuing the mood from dinner the night before. I was thoroughly enjoying myself, and I could tell Eric was too. We had really needed this trip. Even with Sophie Anne being committed somewhere, the stress of everything that had happened hadn't really dissipated from our lives. We'd needed to get away and clear our heads, and so far, I felt like the trip had been a smashing success.

We'd been walking along the beach for a while when Tray turned around and gave me a silly smile.

"You know what I'm thinking?"

I smiled and laughed at him. "No idea."

"Come on, Sookie! You know."

I laughed, because really, I knew, and I'd been thinking about it since our helicopter pilot pointed down and said, "There's Waikiki." I grinned at Tray. "Are you thinking about hockey?"

He cracked up laughing and turned around to give me a high five, and then we both sang in our best Elvis voices, ""Mona luckahiki means hockey. Mona luckawiki means love."

"Oh, god. Make them stop!" Amelia laughed, and I caught Eric looking at us strangely before he joined her, while Pam and Phoebe just looked at us like we were nuts.

Tray and I sang the chorus, because it was the catchiest part of the tune, "Kiki Hockey, Waikiki Hockey! Kiki Hockey, Waikiki Hockey!" When we all finished laughing, Tray explained that it was from a Saturday Night Live skit with Wayne Gretzky that he and I loved.

I'd wondered for a second about the look on Eric's face before he laughed with Amelia, but later, after we'd all talked about some of our other favorite Saturday Night Live skits, it became clear. We were waiting for a table at The Beach Bar at the Westin for lunch, it had a giant Banyan tree in the middle of it that was absolutely gorgeous, and our friends had all drifted slightly away, unintentionally giving us a private moment.

"I love you," he said quietly, pulling me into his arms for a gentle hug.

"Love you, too." I stretched on my tip toes to kiss him. He smiled down at me and seemed thoughtful. "You okay?"

He nodded and tucked my hair behind my ears. "Yeah."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure." He smiled. "Did you know that I have the DVD of that SNL special with Gretzky on it?"

I laughed. "No, but that's classic. We'll have to watch it." His smile was still a little off, and I stopped laughing, lacing our fingers together. "What's going on?"

He sighed. "It's really ridiculous."

I watched him try to shake if off, but I didn't want to let it slide. I put my hand over his heart. "What?"

He searched my eyes for a second, and then he almost whispered, "Sometimes all the signs that we're supposed to be together are a little overwhelming."

I slid my arms around his waist and hugged him to me. I knew exactly what he meant. I'd felt the same way about him choosing Hawaii for our vacation, which had coincidentally become our wedding, but I'd tried not to let him see. It seemed silly, but it was something he didn't know; that I'd always dreamed of a wedding in Hawaii. It was one of those unattainable things growing up, and it hadn't been an option Bill was willing to entertain.

"I know," I said quietly. "But it's good overwhelming." He had been right at the airport when he said the stars seemed to align for us.

He nodded and leaned down to kiss me again just as I saw Pam and Phoebe coming towards us.

"Gah, stop. I don't need to see that," she joked and interrupted our moment, which was probably for the best; my emotions were fairly close to the surface with the wedding right around the corner, and I didn't really want to be a blubbering mess at the beach with our friends.

I raised an eyebrow at her pointedly. She'd seen a lot more than that.

Eric chuckled, and Phoebe looked between us and laughed. "I think there's a story there."

Of course, that's when Tray and Amelia came back towards us, and I had to tell the story while Pam protested something about overhearing being different than listening. By the time I was finished we were all cracking up, me mostly from embarrassment, but even I could admit that it had been funny.

We eventually got a table and had a relaxing lunch. We were all tired and hot from being out at the beach all morning, so we just had sandwiches and cold drinks while Pam introduced Amelia and I to some fruity cocktails. When we finished, we headed to Honolulu to tour Pearl Harbor, the Arizona Memorial, and the USS Missouri until we needed to head back to the airport. It was a somber afternoon, and I found myself wiping away tears more than once.

We flew back to Maui and sent Pam and Phoebe to pick up sushi for everyone for dinner. We all changed into comfortable clothes and sat around the table in the big house, eating sushi, drinking wine and relaxing.

Isabel had sent over the clothing for the wedding and everyone except me was looking over what they were going to be wearing. Pam and Amelia had navy and white hibiscus print sun dresses, and Tray's shirt would match them as well. There was a sundress in a complementing color and pattern for Phoebe, and Eric was wearing a gorgeous white on white Hawaiian shirt and baggy Hawaiian style white pants. My dress was hidden away in the guest room closet. It was a tea-length halter dress with a sweet-heart neck and an empire waist. It was white on white like Eric's shirt, with a shadowed hibiscus print. I really liked how simple it was, yet with a lei, it would be a gorgeous wedding dress.

It began to get late, and as we cleaned up our dishes, Pam watched Eric with a mischievous smile.

"Mr. Northman, go pack your things," she said in her bossiest tone.

"Excuse me?"

"You're not sleeping here tonight. Bad karma, whatever. Pack your shit. Let's go."

Eric looked at me, completely shocked. I hadn't really thought about it, but Pam was right. If you were superstitious, the groom shouldn't see the bride the day of the wedding, so we couldn't wake up together.

"Are you kidding me?" he laughed.

She raised an eyebrow and looked at her watch.

Amelia laughed, and Pam turned on her. "What are you laughing at? Go get your shit to sleep up here with her."

"Pam, I'll be fine."

"This isn't for you; it's for my own sanity. Someones staying up here with you to make sure you don't get cold feet and bolt."

The room went silent. I was shocked. Did she really think I was going to run off?

"Pamela," Eric chastised her, and I was glad he did because I was dumbfounded. I couldn't believe she would think that. Her stoic face lasted about three more seconds and then she threw her head back and cackled.

"Oh my god! I've always wanted to say that!"

"Not funny," Eric growled, and I rolled my eyes.

"Oh come on!" she laughed, and Phoebe gave her a look telling her to shut up.

Amelia was trying not to laugh, and Tray was looking at all of us like we were crazy. Finally I laughed, breaking the tension. "Meels, looks like we're having a slumber party."

Pam whooped in victory, and Eric laughed as he gave me a hug. "Help me pack, Lover?"

Before I could decline, knowing we'd never get out of the bedroom, Pam chimed in, "Of course, darling."

He laughed at her and then went down the hall to the bedroom. Amelia and Tray headed to the smaller house for her to get some of her things. Then Eric was kissing me goodbye, and I stood in the doorway, realizing the next time I saw him would be at our wedding. I started to feel a little overcome with emotion as he hugged me, and when he stepped back he saw the tears brimming in my eyes.

He shook his head. "Don't, Sookie. I won't be able to walk away if you're crying."

"I'm happy!" I laughed.

He cupped my face and kissed each of my eyelids. "Get some sleep. I love you."

"I love you, too. Goodnight."

I watched Eric join Phoebe and Pam, and waited until they started off towards the other house before shutting the door. I headed to the master suite to get ready for bed, and I heard Amelia in the bedroom before I finished in the bathroom. We switched places, and she went to brush her teeth while I changed into pajamas. We finished getting ready and crawled into bed, laughing and talking.

"Sook, you're marrying a movie star tomorrow."

"He's _not_ a movie star. TV star, maybe." I giggled and then yawned.

She snorted. "A fuckhot TV star."

"Yeah, he is." I laughed some more.

"Sook, now you're supposed to say how great Tray is."

"Your husband is a hottie. If I wasn't marrying Eric..." Then we both giggled. "I love you, Amelia. I'm so glad you're here."

"Love you too, Sookie. I wouldn't miss this for the world."

We smiled at each other for a second but could hardly keep our eyes open. "Good night, Sookie."

"Night, Meels."

I woke up before Amelia in the morning, which wasn't a big surprise, headed to the kitchen and made coffee, excited to start the day. When I looked at the clock, I had to laugh. It was only 8:30 a.m. and there were nine hours until the wedding. What the hell was I going to do all day, and how the hell were Eric and I going to manage to not see each other for that entire time?

Amelia staggered out to join me about thirty minutes later with a sleepy grin. "Morning."

"Morning." I handed her a mug.

She checked her phone and laughed. "Tray took Eric to the driving range because he was pacing."

"Well that's good. I was worried I'd have to hide out in the house all day."

"Nah. I say we catch some sun and then have lunch before we start getting ready for the big event."

I'd been thinking the same thing. "Sounds good."

And so we did, and I forced myself not to run to the door when I heard a car in the driveway to catch a glimpse of Eric. We made lunch after awhile, and Amelia called Tray to find out if Eric needed anything before she ran over to the other house. I showered and blow dried my hair before I heard people in the kitchen, and Isabel knocked on the door to tell me that she and her staff were bringing the food and other supplies in. Amelia came back, reporting that Eric was excited but anxious and that the first thing he'd asked was how I was. I wanted to call him, but I knew he was so close that if I called I would find myself walking down to see him, so I resisted.

Amelia and I took our time and finished getting ready. I left my hair down, letting it fall in long waves around my face the way Eric liked, and I put on minimal make-up, just highlighting my lips and eyes. We were dressed and ready about forty-five minutes before the wedding was set to start, and we made our way into the main area of the house where everyone but Pam and Eric had seemed to congregate. Tray and Phoebe were drinking iced tea with Isabel, two of her assistants, the photographer, and the Kahu, or minister.

Isabel pulled me aside and had the photographer take some pictures of me by myself around the house and garden. Eventually, we all met in the kitchen again and she showed us the flowers and lei, explaining how I should present Eric's to him, kissing his cheek and bowing slightly before raising it above my heart for him to take, and that he would do the same with mine when it was time. She also told all of us that we should not throw away our lei, but instead hang them in a tree or bury them in the sand.

"A lei," she said, "Represents love, and to throw one away represents throwing away the love of the giver."

The lei that I was to give to Eric was a green maile-style Ti leaf lei, while he was giving me a traditional white fragrant tuberose double strand lei. Pam, Amelia and Phoebe would wear white orchid lei, while Tray would wear a different type of Ti leaf lei. As Isabel went over everything, I began to think that we really needed to have done a rehearsal, but I would do the best I could.

She explained to Amelia and Phoebe the plans were for dinner after the ceremony, because I wasn't really absorbing much information anymore. Eric had taken care of everything with emailing his parents, his brothers, Jason, and Martini the information for the webcam, but honestly if there were any problems with that, I wouldn't know until the wedding was finished. He'd also been in charge of telling everyone that we wouldn't be calling any of them until the following day, but I had a feeling I'd be speaking to his mother before 2011 rolled around, regardless.

The time went by in the blink of an eye, and suddenly, everyone had gone down to the beach, and I was alone in the house with Isabel, waiting for Eric to take his place. She grinned and led me outside where I could see everyone getting ready, but they were all facing away so they couldn't see me.

Eric and the Kahu walked down the path to the beach, and we followed a ways behind, waiting out of sight at the head of the path. After a few minutes, I heard the conch shell blow, and I smiled, remembering what Isabel had explained to Eric and me, that it was calling the land, air, earth and fire to witness our marriage. When he finished, Eric turned to face us, and I walked onto the sand and out to meet him. Eric stood with the Kahu, with Pam and Phoebe to his right, while Amelia and Tray were on the left. He looked amazing, his white outfit was gorgeous, and his smile lit his entire face. The sun shined upon all of them, and I felt myself starting to cry.

Everything about this wedding was so much more me than anything I had ever done with Bill, but I pushed those thoughts out of my head as I came to stand next to Eric. He was nothing like Bill, there was no comparison. Amelia took my bouquet of white and pink roses, and Eric and I joined hands. We smiled at the Kahu, who reminded me of someone's grandfather, and he nodded back and began to speak.

"Aloha, Eric and Sookie, welcome to Maui. You have chosen one of the most beautiful places in the world to get married, but we are celebrating a different kind of beauty today, your love. It is an honor to be here to witness and celebrate your marriage.

"We are joined today by your close friends, but you both have family members who are not here, for many reasons. In Hawaii, we say that when the wind stirs at a wedding, it is the presence of your _Ohana_, or family, who could not join you today. As we stand here and you feel the sun on your face and the wind in your hair, know that your Ohana is here; they surround you at this moment with their love, support and blessing."

I kept my eyes on Eric as I listened, focusing on the lines of his face and the steady rise and fall of his chest. I knew that the Kahu was going to talk about our families, but it was still difficult standing there, thinking about my parents, and what I would have given for them to be there. And suddenly I felt like a complete bitch because Eric's family wasn't here when they could have been, and as if he sensed it, he squeezed my hands, drawing my attention back to him, and letting me know everything was fine, he mouthed, "I love you." I relaxed again as much as I could, keeping my eyes on him.

Eric and I exchanged lei as the Kahu talked about what they stood for and explained that as we gave them to each other, it was the beginning of weaving our lives together with love. He smiled at us again, and asked for the rings so they could be blessed. He handed me a damp Koa wood bowl from a small table that was set up behind him and gave Eric a conch shell filled with sea water. He placed our rings in the bowl and took a Ti leaf and dipped it into the conch, sprinkling sea water over the rings three times while chanting in Hawaiian, then he nodded and spoke again in English.

"May peace from above rest upon you and remain with you now and forever. Your rings by their very shape are symbols of eternal unity without beginning or end. They are a symbol of the love that exists between you and characterize your devotion to one another. Let them always remind you of the commitments you make today." He paused and looked over at our friends before looking back at the two of us with a grin. "Are you ready to speak your vows?"

"Yes," we said at the same time, and everyone laughed.

"Eric, repeat after me." And so he did, grinning like a fool as his eyes stayed locked on mine, full of love and joy.

"Sookie, with this ring I promise to grow with you, to build our love, to speak openly and honestly to listen to you, to love and cherish you for all the days ahead. From this day forward, you shall not walk alone. My heart will be your shelter, and my arms will be your home. With this ring, I thee wed."

Eric slid the ring onto my finger, squeezing my hand and his smile grew even larger. The Kahu asked if I was ready, and I repeated the same vows back to Eric, managing to only shed a couple of tears, and I slid my fathers' ring onto Eric's' finger. I stood there for a moment, looking at our hands in amazement. We had really done it. Eric reached up and wiped a tear from my cheek, and I smiled, hoping he knew how happy I was.

"Before we're finished, Eric and Sookie, there's one more Hawaiian tradition for you to complete." He held up a lava rock that was wrapped in a Ti leave. "This rock represents the moment in time that you committed your lives to each other. Please place it here on the ground as an offering, that it will remain steadfast in the location of your marriage, marking the birth of your union, while you carry with you your rings as a reminder of your commitment that will forever be with you."

We took the rock from him and set it on the ground at our feet. When we stood, the Kahu raised his eyebrows at us, and I wanted to laugh. "Ready?" We nodded. "It is an honor and a privilege for me to have been a part of your marriage celebration. By the powers vested in me by the State of Hawaii, I pronounce you husband and wife. Mr. Northman, you may kiss your bride."

Eric winked at me and pulled me into his arms for a kiss. It was soft and wonderful, and full of all the emotions that I was feeling. He pulled back, gently giving me a little kiss with his hands cupping my cheeks. "Mrs. Northman, you look amazing."

"Mr. Northman," I whispered back. "You look good enough to eat."

He groaned and gave me a tight hug, and I heard our friends laughing and clapping in the background. We turned and smiled, and then Amelia was squealing and hugging me. Eric and I were passed around, hugging everyone and shaking hands with the Kahu again before signing the marriage license and posing for pictures for the photographer. The sun was sinking fast, so we took as many pictures as we could and then moved inside.

We stepped into the house and Pam handed each of us a glass of wine. "Your mother has left me six voice mails."

Amelia laughed, "I have two from Jason, and there were three from Martini."

I bit my lip. "Were they upset?"

Pam smiled, "Elsa was upset in the first message, but by the end she was blubbering about how she didn't forgive you, but you looked beautiful and she was very happy for you."

Amelia laughed, "Jason just says call him, but Martini...she needs to know who did your hair and if you kept it a secret from her because you were afraid she'd steal your man."

We all laughed, and I felt Eric's arms come around me from behind. "See, Lover, everything is fine."

I snorted. "You can't call me that anymore. It makes it sound like we're having an affair."

He shook his head, "Oh, I intend to do much more than call you my lover, Lover."

"Ew. Stop. You're ruining my appetite," Pam joked. "But seriously, dinner is in the dining room if everyone is ready."

We made our way into the other room and took our places around the table. It was beautifully set and covered in trays of delicious looking Hawaiian style food. Champagne was already poured at each setting, and Pam raised her glass to give a toast.

"To Eric and Sookie, whose schmoopsy love story disgusts me almost daily, but also proves that true love finds us when we least expect it. The two of you are perfect together. I can only hope to someday be as happy as the two of you are." She winked at Phoebe as we all raised our glasses. "Cheers."

There was a chorus of cheers and here, here's around the room. We all reached around the table clinking glasses and when I sat back down, I caught Eric looking at me and realized that we hadn't yet clinked glasses.

"Mr. Northman," I laughed.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Mrs. Northman."

We clinked glasses, grinning at each other, and I heard someone beginning to tap a piece of silverware on their wine glass. I leaned over and kissed Eric, my husband, and I grinned; I liked the sound of that.

He was my husband, and I was Mrs. Eric Northman. Yeah, I really liked that sound of that.

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**A/N:**

Oh man, I hope you guys liked that. FF weddings are almost as hard to plan as your own, and somehow I've written two in the last six months. What was I thinking? LOL

I freakin' love Pam! She is the best friend Eric could have had there!

Thanks so much for reading and taking time to drop me a line or tweet me. You guys are what makes this so fun and makes late night gchat conversations about Hawaiian wedding attire so much fun.

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LINKS:

Maui Tropical Plantation

http:/www(dot)mauitropicalplantation(d0t)com

Mulligan's on the Blue

http:/www(dot)mulligansontheblue(dot)com/

Joe's

http:/www(dot)bevgannonrestaurants(dot)com/joes/index(Dot)html

Waikiki Hockey - I don't agree with the review on this blog. This is one of the greatest sports skits SNL has EVER done. However, to appreciate it you have to realize that it is purposely cheesy and some of the audio/video tracks don't match. It's mimicking the Elvis movies that were cheese laden and often poorly spliced together. Comedic genius + Gretzky? = WIN

http:/waikikihockey(dot)blogspot(dot)com/2008/07/waikiki-hockey-hall-of-fame(dot)html

The Beach Bar

http:/www(dot)moana-surfrider(dot)com/dining/beachbar/

Wedding Attire:

Sookie's dress

http:/www(dot)paradiseclothingco(dot)com/proddetail(dot)asp?prod=328-3585_White

Eric's shirt

http:/www(dot)hawaiianweddingshop(dot)com/kalakaua-lauae(dot)html

Amelia/Pam's dress - Tray's shirt

http:/www(dot)paradiseclothingco(dot)com/proddetail(dot)asp?prod=W154S-QK-Navy

http:/www(dot)paradiseclothingco(dot)com/proddetail(dot)asp?prod=107-QK-Royal

Phoebe's dress

http:/www(dot)paradiseclothingco(dot)com/proddetail(dot)asp?prod=306-3551-Blue


	42. Hau'oli Makahiki Hou

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 42: **Hau'oli Makahiki Hou

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

Man, you guys are awesome. Thanks so much for your reviews last week and for all of the love for the Hawaiian wedding! Really, I can't thank **A Redhead Thing**, **Sapfirerose**, and **TVgirlSVM** enough for prereading, betaing and putting up with my neuroses in general. You ladies are the greatest.

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**EPOV**

When we finished eating the Hawaiian feast, I excused myself to go into the kitchen and get the wedding cake. Isabel and I had shown Sookie a picture of a small cake, it was simple but elegant, and Sookie had liked it. That wasn't however what we were going to actually be eating. There had been so many unknowns with the wedding that I knew the perfect way to ensure that our dessert would be a success. I ordered tiramisu from Rose Angelis and had it shipped out on dry ice. I grinned as I carried it out to the dining room, surprising everyone.

"Eric!" Sookie gasped as she quickly stood. She looked at the tray on the table and then up at me. "Is that what I think it is? I mean, it's not, like, fake or something?"

"Of course it's real, Lover." I laughed. "Fresh from Chicago."

She put her hands on my face. "You are the greatest!" Then she planted a loud kiss on my lips, "Mwuah!" She stepped back and clapped her hands. "Now we get to feed each other some, right?"

"Yes. I believe we do." I grinned.

"You know you do!" Amelia called.

"Smear it on her face!" Pam cackled.

"No, don't!" Tray laughed. "You'll never live it down!"

"I wouldn't risk it." Phoebe sounded serious.

Sookie cut a piece of tiramisu and put it on a plate, and then we each dipped a fork into it. Her eyes danced as she held a mouthful in front of me as I lifted my own fork towards her mouth. I contemplated smearing some on her nose, but I had a feeling Tray and Phoebe were right; it would _so_ not be worth it. We sweetly fed each other, and Sookie closed her eyes as she savored the sweet dessert. I leaned forward and kissed her, tasting the chocolate and coffee essence and the sweetness that was just her.

She put her arms around me, and I picked her up, squeezing her tight. "Love you," I whispered into her hair.

"Love you, too." She laughed. "Now put me down so I can eat my dessert!"

"What? That's my piece. I thought you got it for me." I teased.

"Oh, no. That one's mine!"

We laughed, and she actually did let me eat the original piece after she and Amelia served everyone else. After dessert, we all went to change clothes and get ready to go out. At that point I would have much rather stayed in with just Sookie, but I knew we would have fun. It would be like our own mini, secret reception and Pam was already pretty hellbent on getting us all drunk.

While Sookie was getting read she called out and asked me to plug her cell phone into a charger.I laughed at the eight new messages she had until I grabbed my own phone and saw even more messages there. I sighed and sat down to listen. They were mostly from my mother, and Pam had been right, they ran the gamut from "How could you do this to me?" to "You both look so beautiful and please call me. I love you!"

I had told my dad and everyone that we wouldn't call until New Years Day, but I found myself sitting on the bed and dialing my parents' number. My mom answered, and she sounded hesitant, like she didn't believe I was calling.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mom. How much trouble am I in?"

She laughed. "Well, you're in less trouble than you'd be if you hadn't let me watch on-line."

"I'm sorry, Mom. I mean, I'm not sorry, but I'm sorry you're upset." I sighed. "Things got crazy, and this is what we wanted to do. I hope you can forgive us."

"Oh, baby. I can't say that I'm not disappointed, but there's nothing to forgive. I mean, I'm not happy about it, but, you know."

I laughed. "Is this really you? Because I expected to be in the dog house."

"Well," she chuckled. "You gave me a couple of hours to calm down and gain perspective and for your dad to help me understand what's really important."

For about a second I wondered exactly what my father had done to help her calm down, and then I thought about how I would have distracted Sookie, and thought I might need brain bleach. They had three kids, but still the thought of my parents having sex was a little nauseating.

She sighed, "I can't imagine how you two have been feeling, with Sophie Anne causing problems and having absolutely no privacy thanks to the paparazzi. I would have loved to have been there with you, but I guess all that matters is that you're married and happy. That's all I want for you boys, is to be happy." She paused a second and then changed the subject. "Did you have a photographer? Will you be sending some pictures?"

Sookie came out of the bathroom and saw me sitting on the bed talking on my phone. I gave her a small smile, and she shook her head. She knew that I was talking to my mother.

"Yeah, we had a photographer. We'll get a CD to bring home with all the pictures so we can decide what to order. I better go. We're getting ready to go out to a New Years Eve party. I just wanted to call, and I don't know, tell you I love you."

"I know, Eric. You didn't need to call, but I'm glad you did. Can I talk to Sookie real quick?"

"She's still getting ready, Mom." I said as I smiled at Sookie who mouthed a thank you.

"Oh, okay. Well, the Thorbjornsens are coming over tonight to play cards. Can I tell them?"

"Of course, Mom." The Thorbjornsens were old friends that they played cards with every New Years; my brothers and I had played sports with their kids. "Pam's sending out a statement first thing in the morning, or when we get home tonight, I'm not sure."

"Alright. Give our love to Sookie, and tell her congratulations as well."

"I will, Mom. Talk to you soon."

"Love you. Oh, and call your brothers tomorrow. And make sure Pam emails the family some pictures before she sends them to the press. Okay?"

"Sounds good. Bye."

"Bye."

I disconnected the call and looked at Sookie, waiting for her to say something. She grinned and stepped forward, coming to stand between my legs and put her arms around me.

"You couldn't resist?" She smirked.

"No, I felt a little bad after hearing her voice mails."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah. She says congrats and that she loves you."

She chuckled. "But does she still love _you_?"

"She does." I laughed. "She's sad she wasn't here, but she's happy for us."

"Aw. Well, I'm kind of sad she wasn't there, but I'm not really sorry. Does that make any sense? I'm just really happy to be married. I'm glad we don't have to wait anymore. No more drama with Sophie Anne to scare me off, no more stress from your mom wanting us to have twelve thousand guests watch us release white doves when we say I do."

I snorted a laugh. "I know what you mean, but did my mom really suggest that?"

"No. It just seemed like something she'd say eventually." She laughed.

She was wearing a deep purple sun dress with a v-neck and skinny halter straps. The color looked gorgeous with her tan, and she had her hair pulled back into a casual pony tail. She smiled at my khaki shorts and plain black t-shirt.

"You look comfortable."

"I am, but I'm not sure if it's from my outfit or the company."

She giggled. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah." I slid my hands up her legs, under the skirt of her dress. She bit her lip, and her breath caught, her eyes darkening as she looked down at me.

"You need to stop that if we're actually going to leave here, Mr. Northman."

"Fuck," I growled, moving my hands to her ass, which was bare except for the thin scrap of thong. "Mrs. Northman, you don't know what you do to me."

She gazed down at me and our eyes met. "Oh, but I think I do."

She went down on her knees in front of me and put her hands on my waist band. My eyes rolled back as she unbuttoned my fly and unzipped my shorts. I felt her hot breath through my briefs and licked my lips, anticipating what was to come. She grinned and reached forward, wrapping her hand around me. The instant she touched me I heard the front door slam and Pam's hideous voice.

"Whatever you're doing back there, Sookie, finish him off already! Let's party!" she called out.

I groaned and fell back on the bed. Sookie laughed, lowering her head, basically into my crotch, which didn't help. She stood and set my shorts back to rights and reached for my hand.

"Sorry, baby. Raincheck?"

"I am going to kill her one day."

"I know. At least she didn't walk in this time."

"Ugh."

"Coming?"

"Not funny."

"That's not what I meant." She laughed.

"Um. Give me a minute." I sat up and ran my hands through my hair. "I'll be right out. You go on ahead."

She leaned down and gave me a sweet kiss before slipping into some heeled sandals that made her legs look amazing. She started towards the door and flipped her skirt a little, giving me a quick view of her ass, and then smoothing down her skirt as she went out to the main area of the house.

I groaned again. This was normal though, right? Totally getting cock blocked until after your wedding reception? That would be my mantra for the night.

The club was crowded, full of a mix of American and Japanese tourists and a few locals, and the music was loud. There was an Irish band on stage playing songs that many people were singing along to, while others just talked over them and sipped beers or cocktails. Pam was quick to start a tab at the bar and order a round of drinks. While I knew she'd prefer a nice glass of scotch, she was also a big fan of Guinness, and came back carrying four pints of it.

"Sookie, I didn't know what kind of fruity drinks you and Amelia wanted."

"What makes you think we don't like Guinness?" Sookie grinned.

It was all Amelia could do not to make retching sounds at the thought of drinking the thick, dark beer, but Sookie stood her ground with her eyebrow raised, calling Pam out on her assumption. She should have known better though, because Pam simply shrugged and handed her one of the pints. I knew Sookie didn't really like it. She preferred it mixed with a hard cider like Strongbow, but she grinned at Pam and took a long drink.

Pam shrugged. "Hm. Amelia, grab me another beer when you go to the bar."

She turned and started talking to Phoebe, assuming Amelia would do as she asked. Sookie made a disgusted face behind Pam's back and told Amelia to bring her a Strongbow as well.

"Want me to finish it?" I asked, reaching for Sookie's glass.

She made another face and laughed but said, "Nope. I'll drink it."

I shook my head. "You don't need to."

"No, someday she'd find out and use it against me if I didn't."

"Sookie, it's a beer. Let me drink it. You hate it."

"It's not a beer. It's a loaf of bread in a glass. I don't know how you people can stand it, but I'm powering through." She stuck her tongue out at me and took another big drink, finishing more than half of the glass.

"You're amazing." I shook my head again.

"Because I'm drinking this crap? I know."

She tipped the glass and finished it then turned towards the stage singing along with the band to the _Dropkick Murphy's _Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced.

The night proceeded in a haze of drinks, music, horrible attempts at Irish dancing, and laughter. I had to keep in mind that there were most likely fans with cell phones clicking my picture throughout the night, and tried not to do anything too obnoxious, but in general we all drank more than our fair share. Sookie spent a lot of the time sitting in my lap either rubbing against me or strategically hiding my response to her rubbing.

As the clock struck midnight I held my new wife in my arms, both of us grinning from ear to ear. We'd worn our wedding rings, and I really had no idea if anyone had noticed, but we knew, and we couldn't have been any happier. I kissed her, momentarily forgetting where we were and just losing myself in her. When we separated, we smirked, still caught up in each other until Amelia grabbed Sookie and pulled her into a hug.

We stayed at the bar a while longer, and I'm pretty sure Tray and Amelia had sex in the bathroom. I didn't even want to think about what Pam and Phoebe had been doing with each other. Drunk Sookie had practically given me a hand job through my shorts, and it was really taking all of my willpower not to just take her out to he car and have my way with her.

I remembered Amelia warning me about not letting Sookie drink too much before we went out when we were in Michigan, and I laughed as Tray and I watched the two of them dirty dancing to some Irish song. Just when the thought crossed my mind that Sookie was really going to be hurting in the morning, Pam and Phoebe appeared with a tray of shots, Irish whiskey I presumed, and I had a bad feeling that she wouldn't be the only one hurting.

We regrouped when the bartender rang the bell for last call and made our way to the car. Amelia was snoring before we got back to the house, and Sookie was tucked into my side, struggling to keep her eyes open. We got dropped off at the main house and the car went on to take the others to the smaller cottage.

I put my arm around Sookie and we walked, rather unsteadily, into the house. She kicked off her shoes and pulled her dress over her head, dropping it on the floor, as she walked towards the bedroom. I reached out and ran my finger down her naked back, catching it on the clasp of her strapless bra. She glanced over her shoulder at me, biting her lip and raising an eyebrow, and then she reached around and took off the bra, dropping it on the floor with her dress and shoes. I found myself leaving a trail of my own clothing behind her as we made our way through the house. We were both naked by the time we reached the bedroom, and our hands were all over each other before we landed on the bed in a tangled mess.

I woke in the morning with a raging headache and Sookie laying half across my chest. I reached over to grab the clock off the night stand, and my movement made Sookie groan.

"Oh my god. My entire fucking body hurts."

I started to laugh, but stopped quickly. "Ow. That hurt my head. Your entire fucking body, huh?"

She sat up slowly, trying to grin. "Well, my headache is from the booze, but the rest of it, I'm pretty sure it was the fucking that made me so sore."

I laughed again, and that time I grabbed my head as I groaned.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. My head is killing me though. We drank way too many different kinds of alcohol yesterday."

"We did. At least I don't feel sick, but I seriously need some Ibuprofen or something."

"Me too." I sighed, and pushed myself up so I was sitting on the bed. "I'll take one for the team and go get it."

"Thanks, hubby." She giggled.

"Stop trying to make me laugh. What are we doing today anyway?"

"We're lying by the pool."

I grabbed two bottles of water from the kitchen and found some Ibuprofen in one of her bags in the bathroom. She was sitting up, leaning on the headboard when I came back into the bedroom. "Anyone coming to join us?"

She took a swig of water and swallowed the pills I handed her before leaning her head back and closing her eyes. "Nope. I told them to leave us alone until dinner."

"You think Pam got the message?"

She snorted. "Like she'd care if she did."

I rolled my eyes even though she couldn't see me. "I'll text her a warning."

She opened her eyes, looking me up and down, and then closed them again. "Yeah. Nothing that requires movement will be happening. So, whatever."

I pulled on my swim trunks and took my Ibuprofen and then, although it made my head pound, leaned over her on the bed putting my hands on either side of her body. I ran my nose along her collar bone and into the valley of her chest, letting my breath ghost across her nipples. I gently kissed the swell of each breast, watching as her nipples tightened and pebbled and her breath caught.

I whispered in her ear, "Why don't you wake up a little more, and we'll see if you still feel that way?"

"You are evil!" She laughed, grabbing me and pulling my face to hers for a kiss.

Sookie called Martini about an hour after we went outside, and I could hear her screams through the phone. After a few rounds of 'I'm sorry's' and 'I still love you's,' Sookie began to laugh here and there as she gave her friend the blow by blow account of the wedding, our dinner, and our night at the bar. She listened for a while and laughed, saying things like, "What site was that on?" and "I can't wait to show you all of the pictures." When she tried to finish the call she paused to listen and then snorted. Before she hung up I heard her say, "A lady never tells!"

I chuckled as I listened, but knew that I would get grilled just as hard when I called my brothers after we ate. I'd already decided that I was going to do a conference call and talk to them both at once. God knew I didn't want to have to deal with their crap twice.

A little while later Sookie and I made sandwiches and took a break from the sun for an early lunch since we'd skipped breakfast. We watched some football and tried to rehydrate. I cringed as Sookie drank tomato juice and then ate a cup of yogurt, swearing that it was the best thing for a hangover, no matter how small or large.

I called my brothers at halftime of the game, knowing they'd both be in front of the television. I started with Sven and told him to hold on and then connected Chris to the call, putting us all on speaker so Sookie could be a part of the conversation.

"So," I laughed. "Surprise!"

"Dude! What the fuck?" Sven laughed, and we heard Rachel tell him to watch his mouth.

"No shit! Congrats though." Chris laughed.

"Thanks boys!" Sookie called.

"Sis!" Sven laughed. "Welcome to the Northman's! I keep telling Rach we're like the Hotel California-"

"Or the mob," Chris interrupted.

"Yeah. Once you check in you can never leave. You're stuck with us."

"Thank god you're stuck with me!" Rachel laughed.

"We're in it together," Sookie laughed. "Where's Zee?"

"I'm here! I was in the other room. Congratulations!"

"How upset is mom?" Chris asked with a laugh.

"She's okay."

"That's shocking." Sven deadpanned.

"Yeah. She said dad helped her understand what's really important."

"Ugh. That's not a good image."

"What?"

Chris got it, and when neither of us said anything for a second, Sven came up with it.

"Oh! That's just gross! Why'd you make me thank about that?"

"Well, I had to. Just thought I'd share."

By that time Sookie was cracking up, as were Rachel and Zee. Eventually we settled down and talked about the wedding. Sookie and I explained that after everything that had happened we just wanted to be married as quickly as we could, and since we already had our trip planned it was easy to combine the two. They were supportive, telling us that it was our wedding and thanked us for setting up the webcam. I could see Sookie relax as she listened to them talk about how cool it had looked.

When they asked what we'd done for dinner and the rest of the night, she was animated and excited, laughing as she told them the story about drinking Pam's Guinness. If I hadn't been obsessively in love with her already, her concern over what my parents and my brothers thought of our wedding would have done it.

Before we got off the phone we got an update from Sven and Rachel on the baby. She had an ultrasound scheduled in two weeks and they were going to find out if they were having a boy or a girl. Sven was putting odds on a boy, but Rachel just said that's because he wouldn't know what to do with a daughter. We finished the call with Sven promising to keep us posted after the ultrasound appointment. We all said we wanted to hear it from the two of them, not mom.

Hours later, after basking in the sun, splashing in the pool, and gently making love with my new wife, our idyllic bubble was burst by our best friends calling from inside the house.

"Hello!"

"Can Sookie come out to play?"

"Anyone home?"

"Put your dick in your pants and cover her tits!"

Thank god for Phoebe and Tray; the other two were obnoxious. Sookie laughed as they called out, and then they joined us outside by the pool. We sat talking for a while, comparing hangovers, and I wasn't surprised to hear that Amelia had been the worst off. Dark sunglasses still covered her eyes, and she was moving slowly. Pam brought out Sookie's laptop and we looked over an article and a couple of pictures on announcing our marriage.

**Northman Ties the Knot! **

_**Bloodlust **_hunk **Eric Northman** finished 2010 with a surprise wedding. He married his girlfriend, **Sookie Stackhouse**, who he has been dating since last summer and were engaged on Halloween at the home they share in Malibu. The couple was married in a secret ceremony on December 31, 2010 on the beach at a private estate while vacationing in Maui, Hawaii. **Eric** wore a traditional white Hawaiian shirt and pants while the bride wore a simple but elegant halter style gown in a matching Hawaiian white on white pattern. The non-denominational ceremony was attended by close friends only and was officiated by a Hawaiian Kahu.

They posed for wedding photos near the ocean and then retreated to the house for a private dinner with their friends where they dined on a Hawaiian feast. Later they changed into casual clothes and spent the remainder of their New Years Eve at a local club, Mulligan's on the Blue, with a crowd of unsuspecting tourists and locals. The couple will continue their honeymoon in Maui before returning to Los Angeles when **Bloodlust **begins filming.

**Eric** and **Sookie** have been in the news recently due to the obsessive attraction of **Eric's **former _**Bloodlust **_co-star **Sophie Anne LeClerq**. She physically attacked both **Eric** and **Sookie** on separate occasions and sent them threatening messages via telephone and computer. **Sookie** **Stackhouse** was recently granted a restraining order against **Sophie Anne** which ultimately will be of no use, based on today's announcement from **LeClerq's** representatives. **Sophie Anne** is in the process of relocating to London for the role of Katherine in _Taming of the Shrew_ at the **Novello** **Theater.** Rehearsals begin in two weeks, and the show will run for six months. **Sophie Anne** is thought to be in treatment for a personality disorder. Her reps will only confirm that she will be continuing her current treatment in England.

Sookie read a few comments, the way she normally did, laughing that it only took three posts before someone wondered if she was pregnant.

"It's already started! They say as soon as you're married people start asking if you're pregnant!"

"Oh my god!" Amelia giggled. "Someone asked before Eric's mom?"

Pam got in her two cents. "I asked before we left California."

"You, shut up." I gave Pam the eyebrow and then turned to Amelia with a laugh. "You, be nice to my mom! I'm sure she'll ask the next time Sookie talks to her."

"All of you, shut up," Tray laughed as he headed to the kitchen. "I need some dinner. Who wants left-overs?"

We all laughed and joined him in the kitchen, reheating the food and making heaping plates for ourselves. We looked over the DVD of pictures that Isobel dropped off and made plans for when we got home. They were all leaving in the morning while Sookie and I had one more day to ourselves.

And suddenly the reality of going back to L.A. started to crash in on me. Though we hadn't been quite inconspicuous here, we had kind of blended in with the tourists, at least until they realized that the really tall blond really was who they thought it was. Going home meant being met at the airport by swarming photographers and being followed to the grocery store. I felt Sookie's hand on the back of my neck and she lightly kissed the top of my head. Exhaling, I pulled her into my arms for a quick hug. The paparazzi, the drama, the limelight; none of it mattered as long as I had her.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

**A/N:**

Awwww... Eric is so sweet! I wanna have one for my very own. A pocket Eric, if you will, so he can always be there for me. (Wow, somehow that ended up sounding dirty.)

Thanks to everyone for reading! If you feel like it, drop me a line. I'm fairly harmless, really. Thanks again!

Sookie's NYE dress

http:/bit(dot)ly/f4e5Cl


	43. Be My Valentine

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 43: Be My Valentine**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

For your holiday shopping list: Matt Damon is a big supporter of www(dot)water(dot)org, and his brother helped design these limited edition water bottles that are for sale. You know Sookie has one!

Thanks as always to the Beta-ladies: **A Redhead Thing **and **Sapfirerose**. Thanks to **TVgirlSVM_** for helping me with some more details about Hollywood events. (She made us a couple of diagrams for this chapter too! They're at the bottom of the chapter if you want to check them out.

Thanks to everyone for your reviews last week! Glad you all loved the New Years party and the remainder of the honeymoon. Now, back to the real world.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

**SPOV**

Getting home from our honeymoon was worse than returning from any other vacation I'd ever been on. We were met with a wall of paparazzi as soon as we got out of the airport, and there had even been a few photographers inside as well.

There was a lovely note from Bill waiting at the house that read, "You've done it now," which irritated the hell out of me, because what did that mean? Things were over. We'd had that conversation, ad nauseum, and _now_ he sends me a note like that? I had to believe it was more than just his penis that made Bill such a jackass.

We had also managed to come home to awards and gala season. The People's Choice Awards were two days after we returned from Hawaii, and Eric decided to skip it, but the Heaven Gala, the Golden Globes and its after parties, as well as the Screen Actors Guild Awards and its festivities, were a must for someone like Eric. He was on a hit show, but he was still establishing himself with the real movers and shakers in Hollywood.

I had managed to escape talking to Eric's mom for forty-eight hours after we returned home. She called my cell phone directly, asking about ordering pictures from the wedding and whether or not she could get a copy of the ceremony on DVD. We had a good conversation, and she made sure to tell me she didn't blame me for 'running away to Hawaii with Eric,' which I knew really meant that she did, but she was at least being civil and joking that I'd saved us both a lot of work on a more formal wedding. I knew Eric had been exactly right that she would spend the entirety of our first pregnancy watching me like a hawk.

Eric went back to work the same day Elsa called, and _Bloodlust_ filming got back into full swing. He worked his vampire hours, which left me in charge of some final steps to our marriage; like changing my name on every freaking piece of identification and credit card that I had, meeting at the bank and the lawyer's office because Eric insisted on adding me to his account, getting me a life insurance policy, and paying off my student loan, just to name a few things. There was this never-ending list that I was checking things off of. I had totally forgotten how much paperwork there was to deal with after a wedding. Although, I had to admit that I was kind of giddy about my student loan being taken care of; I had figured I'd be paying that loan until I died.

About a week and a half into the whirlwind Eric came home relatively early from the set, around 9 p.m., grabbed my phone and turned both it and the television off and moved my laptop onto the coffee table.

"Lover, you need to relax."

"I'm working." I tried not to sound irritated.

He sat down next to me and turned me around, pulling my legs onto the couch and taking me in his arms so we were stretched out next to each other.

"And you need to stop." We were face to face, his hand resting on my side. "What has you so worked up? How can I help you?"

I looked into his eyes, and it was if it was the first time I'd stopped moving since we got home. "I'm just overwhelmed."

"With what?" He didn't sound exasperated or angry, just really concerned. I hated that even for a fraction of a second I still expected him to react the way Bill would to things.

I closed my eyes and snuggled up to his chest, tucking my head into the crook of his neck. "I don't know. Nothing. Everything?" I mumbled.

"Baby, you don't have to do it all now, and I don't know why you're in such a rush."

And then it hit me, Eric hadn't left me to do everything; he just wasn't worried about it getting done immediately. I wanted to laugh, and I really wanted to cry, because all of my stress and the pressure to get everything taken care of was because of Bill. He had been adamant that I take his name and that everything, except my student loan, be in the name of Sookie Compton. Living with him had been miserable until I got it all taken care of. I had assumed, without a second thought, that Eric felt that same urgency.

I kissed him on the neck, wrapping my arms around him for a tight hug. "I love you."

He chuckled, his chest rumbling against mine. "What's going on, Lover?"

"Nothing. I just needed to get a little perspective."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Neither do I half the time." I laughed. I did not want to tell him that I had thought he was anything like Bill, but I knew I had to say something. "I just got carried away. I put pressure on myself that I didn't need to."

"Sookie, you've got to stop thinking you're in this alone. Okay? It's you and me now. Christ, Alcide would have helped you if you'd asked."

I laughed. Alcide had been really sweet, more so than I expected, when we got back. He'd gotten us a monogrammed throw blanket for the living room as a wedding gift and had done all of our laundry and restocked the fridge while we were gone. Since the day at Joan's he had been more comfortable with me, and when we returned from Hawaii he almost seemed to be respectful of me. He called out when he came into the house to let me know he was there and even told me when he was leaving and asked if there was anything I needed him to do. I was still getting used to it.

I exhaled. "I know. Really. I think I just forgot for a minute."

"A minute?" He laughed. "How about a week and a half?"

I sighed and tried not to laugh. "Yeah. Maybe that long."

"Okay, you're taking a break tonight. No more work, no more worrying. I've got some movies and popcorn."

"And M&M's?"

"Yep. You can have your own bowl of popcorn so you can mix in the M&M's just the way you like."

"What movies did you get?"

He laughed. "_Date Night _and _The Bourne Supremacy_."

I snorted. "I own the _Bourne_ movies, silly."

"I wasn't sure, and I didn't know what you'd want to watch. I got funny and Matt."

"Like he's his own category." I giggled.

"He is. Isn't he?" Eric teased. He sat up and pulled me with him. "Come on. Let's get the popcorn going and make drinks. I got some tonic and limes for you."

We made our popcorn and drinks and settled back in on the couch to watch _Date Night_ since Eric hadn't seen it yet. I snuggled next to him, and we sat together watching and snacking until I gave up and put everything on the coffee table so we could lie down. I don't think I lasted more than ten minutes wrapped in his arms before I fell asleep.

Since _Bloodlust_ had been nominated for a Golden Globe, Eric and I kicked off the festivities by attending the Heaven Gala. It was a black tie event that was held annually the night before the Globes to benefit the Art of Elysuim, a non-profit that encouraged working actors, artists, and musicians to give time and talent to children with serious medical conditions.

The Gala would be our fist official appearance as husband and wife, and I wanted it to go off without a hitch. I dug through my closet and found a Calvin Klein cocktail dress that I hadn't worn for anything in California yet. It was emerald green and knee length with allover shutter pleating and a straight neckline across my chest.

I tried it on for Eric, and he grinned.

"Will this work?"

He looked at me in confusion. "You look great. What else do you need?"

I rolled my eyes.

"If you need more than that, you've come to the wrong man."

"Thanks, baby." I laughed. "I'll ask Pam."

She was her honest self. "It's a cocktail dress. There's nothing spectacular about it, but it's fine, and it looks good with your tan. No one really cares what you're wearing anyway. You're still just Eric's plus one, even if you are married now."

The day of the Gala, I primped and had Martini do my hair and make-up, and Eric let her approve of his hair. We took a chauffeured car to the Beverly Hilton, and walked into the party to be photographed from every angle and shouted at like side-show freaks. I still didn't know which events had actual interview lines for Eric and which ones were just stand and shoot photo lines, and this was apparently the latter.

The night went by as most of these parties seemed to; Eric schmoozed and chatted with other people in the industry, and I drank fairly heavily, flanked by Daph, Holly and a couple of other cast members' girlfriends. The next night, Eric went to the Golden Globes, where he walked the red carpet and told everyone how happy we were, which made me grin as I watched from the bar at the _In Style_ magazine viewing party. Eric met me there after the awards. _Bloodlust_ hadn't won, but Eric didn't let his disappointment show. We had a drink there with some people who hadn't gone to the awards and then headed to Circa55 for an after party.

The weekend was a haze of flashbulbs, sequins, and parties. Eric was fairly uncomfortable with all of the attention he got in such a short span of time, and I had to laugh. For someone whose job it was to stand in front of a camera and be filmed everyday, he did not like being the center of attention, and I loved it about him.

Over the course of several weeks of parties we had settled back into a pattern. Eric went to the set everyday for work, and I ran to the office when I had to or visited restaurants and markets that I needed to review. Eric went with me to restaurants when he could, and other times I went by myself or I invited Martini or one of my other friends along. When we didn't have events to attend on the weekend, we relaxed together, watching movies, painting the guest room and hanging out with friends.

With the onslaught of awards season came the realization that I had two weeks to figure out what to get Eric for Valentine's Day. Since _Bloodlust_ was still filming we couldn't go out of town, but I wanted it to be special. Not only was it our first married Valentine's Day, it was our first Valentine's Day together at all, which seemed a little strange to think about, because I felt like he was such a major part of my life. It seemed impossible that we were still having firsts, but we were.

After much deliberation, I came up with gifts for Eric that I knew he would love. Hockey tickets, homemade key lime pie, and another little surprise. Valentine's Day was on a Monday, so Eric and I planned to celebrate the Saturday before.

Daph invited me to check out the new yoga studio she was going to, so we made plans for the morning class and then grabbed brunch before heading home. I'd been debating what to wear for days since Eric wouldn't tell me where we were going for dinner. It was irritating because he knew I hated surprises, and he'd just smile and say he knew me well enough to know that I would like it. The worst part was that he was probably right, but I still wasn't happy about it.

Eric was gone when I got back to the house. He'd left a note that simply said, 'Back soon!' I had no idea where he'd gone, but laughed a little thinking he was probably last minute shopping.

When he walked through the door an hour and a half later I was proven right, but not in the way I thought. He came in carrying grocery bags and grinning.

"What is all of that?" I laughed.

"Ingredients." He waggled his eyebrows, and I laughed even more.

"Ingredients for what?"

"Way back when you had amnesia, I told you that my special dish was chicken noodle soup."

"Yes..." I stretched the word out. I knew that, but I couldn't imagine that he was making it for Valentine's Day.

"Well, I'm branching out." He pulled out a couple of packages wrapped in white butcher paper and then a cardboard box with holes in it and put them in the refrigerator. "Steak and lobster."

"Really? That's impressive."

"Or it will be awful, but I've watched a ton of you-tube videos on how to cook the lobster so I think we'll be okay." He continued to unload his bags, putting away the ingredients for a mixed salad and a head of broccoli. "I feel confident I can do everything except make your sauce for the broccoli, but I didn't think you'd mind."

I grinned. "Not at all." It was an easy lemony mock Hollandaise sauce that I had gotten Eric hooked on.

"Okay. You know what's for dinner, now you can decide if you want to get dressed up or stay casual. Your choice."

I bit my lip and squinted at him like I was really thinking about it, but really, it was no contest. Sweats and t-shirts would always win out. "Do we have to wear clothes at all?"

He barked a laugh. "Lover, I always prefer you without any clothes on, but I wouldn't want you to get burned in the kitchen."

"Aw. You're so thoughtful. I'm sure you know what my answer is. I'm going to shower and change back into some clean sweats."

He smiled. "I figured, but I wanted you to decide."

I stretched up and kissed him. "Lobster and sweats aren't a typical combination, but I think we can make it work."

"Mm. I'm sure we can. You go shower, and I'll finish up a couple of details, and then I'll get started cooking."

I showered and dried my hair and then headed back to the kitchen in comfy sweats and a bejeweled Mrs. Northman t-shirt that Amelia had given me. I had the thong on too, which Eric loved, but he wouldn't get to see that until later.

When I joined him, he was cutting vegetables for the salad and had a huge stock pot on the stove heating water to a boil. "Can I help?"

He leaned towards me, angling his head, and I giggled, kissing his cheek.

"Why don't you make your sauce, and then you can toss the salad."

We worked together, and though I knew he wanted to cook for me, I helped make sure he had everything timed so that it would be ready at the same time. I bit back a laugh watching him go through the motions once, practicing before actually using the chef's knife to crack open the lobsters. I loved that he had watched you-tube to learn how to make our Valentine's dinner.

He put Nina Simone on the iPod, and we sat down to a delicious meal. There were no candles and no maitre d'; but there weren't any paparazzi or fangirls wanting autographs and pictures of my husband either. Eric hadn't mentioned dessert, and I had a feeling we would have dueling sweets to put on the table. Although, I was going to be so full that we might have to rest and then work off some dinner before I had room for it.

We finished eating and he smiled, taking my hand across the table. "Happy Valentine's Day, Lover. The first of many."

"Count on it, buddy."

"Ugh." He leaned back in his chair, stretching, and then stuck his stomach out and rubbed it with his hands. "I got dessert too, but there's no way I can eat any of it right now."

I smiled. "Yeah, well, part of your Valentine's Day present is dessert."

"Give me a little while to let my food settle."

His mind always went to sex. "No, really. I made dessert."

"Really? What did you make?"

"Key lime pie."

He groaned. "I love key lime pie."

"I know!" I laughed. "That's why I made it, goofball. What did you get?"

"The chocolatiest cake I've ever seen. They called it Death by Chocolate, and I figured you would die happy."

It was my turn to groan. "Okay. We can't eat it now. Let's clean up, and I can give you your other gifts, and we'll plan on a late night dessert."

"Only if we're naked. And you a have gift, too."

"You didn't have to."

"I know. Neither did you."

We cleaned up the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher, and then Eric led me to the living room. "Have a seat while I go get your present."

"Okay." I laughed, popping back up as soon as he disappeared down the hall to get his present from the drawer where I had stashed it.

He came back with a gorgeous gift bag and a vase of roses that I had no idea where he had kept hidden. He grinned and handed me the flowers. "For you."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said as he sat down across from me. We were cross-legged on the floor, grinning at each other. He looked down and saw the envelope in my lap. "You want to go first?"

I wasn't sure if he meant did I want to open my gift, or give him his, so I just reached forward, holding his gift towards him.

He felt the envelope between his fingers, narrowing his eyes as if he was trying to figure out what was in it. It was a flat envelope and was clearly tickets to something or a gift card, and he knew it. He waggled his brows and opened it quickly.

"Kings tickets?" He sounded surprised and definitely excited.

I grinned. "You like?"

"I love! Two tickets though. Who should I take?" He grinned as he teased me. "Who do I know that likes hockey?"

"Sam." I deadpanned.

He threw his head back and laughed. "Yes, but I don't particularly enjoy seeing Sam's nipples in the cold ice arena."

"Ew. No. I can understand." I bit my lip. "I could go. You know, I know a bit about hockey."

"I know you do, Lover. I'd love to go to the game with you. On one condition, though."

I rolled my eyes. "What's that?"

"You let me buy you a Kings shirt. I can't show up with you in Black Hawks gear."

"That is low." I shook my head. "But I can do it, for you."

He leaned forward and kissed me. "Thank you, Lover. You're a good wife."

I snorted. "Sure thing, Northman."

"This is for you." He reached beside him and brought the gift bag in between us.

"Dinner and a large package. You must really love me."

"I'll give you a large package."

"Gutter mind." I laughed and reached into the bag to take out a box wrapped in tissue. Pulling away the paper, I gasped at the name on the box. "You didn't."

"I did."

I couldn't bring myself to open it. "Are they? How did you?" I shook my head, realizing how he had found out how badly I wanted them. "Amelia." He nodded, and I bit my lip as I lifted the lid that read Christian Louboutin - Paris. "They're so pretty!"

I gently ran my finger over the shiny black patent leather shoe, grinning. I loved the trademark red sole, and on these, there was a hidden red platform that showed through the peep toe. I knew from drooling over them and trying them on the store that they had almost a five inch heel.

"Put them on."

Eric's voice brought me out of my shoegasmic haze. "Oh! Okay." I pulled my socks off and slid my feet into them. They fit perfectly. I stood up and did a little turn. "They're amazing. I can't believe you got them for me!"

He reached up, and I pulled him up to stand with me. "Haven't you learned by now?" He laughed. "I'll get you anything you want."

"Anything?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Pretty much."

"Wait here." I walked into the kitchen and got the other present out of the drawer that I'd hidden away. I held the packet behind my back as I returned to where he was waiting and took a deep breath as he looked at me with questions in his eyes. I put the little plastic birth control pill dispenser in his hand. "I don't want these anymore. I want the consequences."

He looked down at his hands, then back up at me, and a smile spread across his face. "Now that's something I would love to work on giving you. As a matter of fact, I think we should get busy trying to make that happen."

"You do?" I giggled.

"I do." His words struck a chord in me, the simple phrase reminding me of our wedding and how amazing the man in front of me was.

He cupped my face and kissed me sweetly, then took my hand and led me down the hall towards the bedroom, turning off the lights as we went. It was going to be a while before we made it back to the kitchen for dessert.

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**A/N: **  
I'm just going to let you use your imaginations about smexy, naked, late night dessert eating. Bahahaha. Cuz you know that's how it all played out.

What did you think of their gifts? You gotta love a man who you-tubes things to cook for you, and I know a couple of you shoewhores are going to be very jealous the Louboutins.

Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing! Halo!Eric and Sookie love you all!

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Diagrams from Nicole:

Diagram of the Beverly Hilton - GG and Party Locations: http:/bit(dot)ly/igLcXM

Map with locations for parties at Beverly Hilton http:/bit(dot)ly/f2ToVD

Sookie's green dress:

Front http:/bit(dot)ly/ie81uI

Back http:/bit(dot)ly/gbIBoZ

Heaven Gala http:/www(dot)theartofelysium(dot)org/?p=399

Christian Louboutin Very Prive Patent Pump http:/bit(dot)ly/fIcw7B

**Mock Hollandaise Sauce**

1 c. mayonnaise (NOT MIRACLE WHIP)

2 tbsp. lemon juice

dash (or 2) of Tabasco

Salt & pepper to taste

Mix ingredients, store in a glass jar in refrigerator.

Good on broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus & cauliflower


	44. An Ocean Apart

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Chapter 44: An Ocean Apart **

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**

*Waves hello from under a mountain of life-crap.* Here's chapter 44. I kinda can't believe we're that far, but wow, I guess we are. LOL

I have had a rough week and am posting this early because I will be at a funeral tomorrow. I will not be posting next week, but returning with HE45 the following Tuesday. I just can't swing it this week with the holiday, 12,000 relatives in town for this funeral and my son having a double ear infection. Thanks for understanding.

Thanks go my beta-girls **A Redhead Thing** and **Sapfirerose **for finding my silly mistakes and fixing them. As usual, thanks to **TVgirlSVM **as well. I tip my chauffeur hat to you. *wink*

I hope everyone has a great holiday and I'll see you next year.

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The awards season continued through the Oscars in the end of February, and then our social calendars began to clear, if only for a few weeks. Then I had to go to Europe to do some promotional work for _Bloodlust_. Sookie wanted to come with, but it was a brutal schedule of less than twenty-four hours in most countries, and she decided to take the opportunity to go to Michigan.

It all sounded like a great plan, but it was the first week that we were going to really spend time apart since she'd moved to California. I was feeling a little weird about it, and I knew she was too, but I was also feeling like a whiny bastard. I kept saying things like, "Don't have too much fun without me," or "I can't believe you're taking a vacation without me." I knew what I was doing but generally only after I said something horrible and Sookie gave me the evil eye. Finally, after I made a snide comment when heard her making plans with Amelia to eat at Phil's in Saugatuck, she snapped.

"Listen, I don't know what the problem is, but if you want me to come home from this vacation, you need to get your head out of your ass."

I scrubbed my hands over my face and exhaled. "I know. I'm sorry. I can't help myself. I'm just going to miss you so fucking much."

She shook her head, looking at me like I was a child, and I felt like one, too. "Do you not understand that the only reason I'm going is because I can't just sit here in this house and miss you while you're gone?"

"Really?" That had never occurred to me.

"Ugh!" she groaned in frustration. "You told me this trip to Europe was crazy, that you'd be really busy, and we'd go another time. So instead of staying here and missing you for ten days, I decided to go visit my friends. Do something to occupy myself. But you're being a baby about it."

I put my head down on the counter; it was my turn to groan. "Ugh. I know."

"Then stop already!"

I turned my head, and she was standing next to me at the bar. "Please, don't cry." She hadn't started, but she looked on the verge. It made my chest hurt to think that I'd done that to her.

"I'm not crying." I thought she might stamp her foot, but she didn't. She just stood there with tears threatening to fall.

All I had to do was turn towards her, and she stepped between my legs and into my arms. I tucked my head into the crook of her neck and sighed. "I love you so much. I'm so sorry I'm such an asshole."

She sniffed. "You're not usually an asshole. I knew there was something going on in that little man brain of yours."

"Did you just say I have a little man brain? I'm sorry, Lover, but there's nothing little about me."

"Well, it might be the only small thing about you. I'll give you that."

"Are we done fighting? I don't think I like it."

She snorted. "I wouldn't call that a fight, but I think it's done."

I lifted my head and looked into her eyes. "Do we get to have make-up sex?"

"It wasn't a fight."

"We can pretend." I raised an eyebrow.

"All you think about is sex."

"That is not true. I think about how much I love you, how much I'm going to miss you, how much I love trying to make babies with you..."

She sighed. "You don't play fair."

"Are you turning me down?"

"Are you packed?" I nodded, and her hands moved to my waist, hooking her fingers through my belt loops. "Only because you said making babies."

"Really?" I said against her neck as I traced my nose along her skin. "I was thinking maybe you want me as much as I want you."

"There's that too."

I laughed and let her lead me down the hall to the bedroom. We made quick work of our clothes, tossing them over our shoulders onto the floor. Then, instead of the sort of anxious make-up sex I was anticipating, there was a shift in emotions, and our lovemaking was more reverent, memorizing the details of each other that we'd miss while we were apart. Sookie faced me, our eyes hazy, but straining to watch each other, as she straddled my waist and set a slow pace, raising and lowering herself, driving me to the edge of reason. She was arching her back and chanting my name as her muscles began tightening around me. I sat up, putting my hands on her waist and took charge as she tensed and came apart around me. I ground my teeth, feeling my release closing in as I pushed into her and pulled her firmly down to reach as far as I could inside her. She recovered enough to lean forward and begin kissing my chest, but it was the scrape of her teeth on my nipple that was my catalyst. I brought our hips together in one last hard meeting and felt my orgasm roll through my body and into hers. Sookie ran her hands over my arms absently, kissing my neck and collar bone as I caught my breath.

"Shit." I laughed. "We should fight or plan to be away from each other more often."

She smacked my chest. "Not funny."

She moved and stretched, snuggling along-side me and putting her hand over my heart. After a few minutes, she sat up and looked back over her shoulder at me. "I'm going to clean up. Make sure you set the alarm."

I nodded and watched her until her gorgeous body disappeared into the bathroom. She didn't close the door, and it made me smile. She'd told me that Bill had been adamant about shutting the door when either of them 'did business.' I had laughed hysterically as she made air-quotes and imitated her ex. I thought about how easily she and I had fallen into an entirely different level of comfort almost as soon as we'd been intimate. She didn't hesitate to change in front of me or use the restroom while I was brushing my teeth. Hell, we'd had to throw on clothes in front of each other that first morning when she had amnesia and Alcide showed up at the beach house. I mean, I hadn't watched her, but we'd been in the same room, and we were still like that, at ease in each other's presence.

I knew that there were times when she was still surprised that I didn't think or act like Dr. Douche. I tried not to take it personally and mostly I didn't. She was the only thing Bill and I had in common. I was certain of that. And that damn note he'd sent about our wedding. Sookie had tried to assure me that it was Bill's way of shifting blame for the ultimate failure of their marriage to her, even though they had been officially divorced for six months. I was certain that there was something more sinister behind it, and I went so far as to have Pam hire an investigator in Chicago to see what that slimy bastard was up to. She didn't have any concrete news for me yet, but it sounded like Bill was looking into dental licensing for the state of California.

Sookie joined me in bed again, molding her body around me, and I forgot all about her ex. When the alarm went off I had to peel her off my chest to make my way to the shower. I was cursing Alcide for booking me such an early flight as the hot water pounded on my back. Sookie's flight wasn't until mid-day, so I didn't want to wake her up until I was ready to go. When I came out of the bathroom with the last of my things to pack she wasn't in the bed. I put my things in my suitcase and closed it, then headed towards the smell of coffee and Sookie. She was in my office, sitting at my desk checking her email wearing that Mrs. Northman tanktop.

I leaned on the door frame. "What are you doing up?"

She smiled. "I need to get a few things done before I head out. I can sleep on the plane." She stood and came over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. "Are you ready to go?"

"I just need to pack my laptop. The car should be here in about twenty minutes."

"I can still drive you."

"Don't worry about it." I squeezed her, wanting to hold on to the moment and not let go of her. "I'll be back in ten days. Meet you in the bedroom?"

"That sounds like a plan, Mr. Northman."

I stepped out of her arms and grabbed my laptop along with all of the extraneous stuff that went with it and put it in the bag. When I turned, Sookie had taken my place in the doorway, watching me and sipping her coffee. "Call me when your flight gets in, please."

"You'll still be flying."

I sighed. "I know, but then you'll be the first thing I hear when I check my phone, and I'll know you're okay."

She smiled. "Sure. You remember the deal?"

"Yes." I laughed. "No crepes with anything chocolaty in them while I'm in Paris."

"Right. If I don't get to come with you, you don't get to eat my favorite thing there. Well, I like a lot of food in France, but you know."

"We'll have to squeeze in a long weekend to Paris when _Bloodlust_ wraps."

"I'll hold you to that."

I gave her another hug and my phone rang in my pocket indicating that the car was out front. "I have to go. I'll call you when I land."

"Doesn't matter what time it is."

"I know. I love you."

"Love you, too. Be safe."

Sure enough, her phone went straight to voice-mail when I tried to call her. "Lover, I'm in France. I'm going to check into the hotel and get some crepes while I take a short walk. No chocolate though. I remember my promise." I sighed. "I miss you already. Love you."

The following morning I woke to find a voice-mail from her as well and cursed myself for having the ringer turned off on my phone and missing her call.

"Bonjour, mon coeur!" She giggled at herself for speaking French and calling me sweetheart from the other side of the Atlantic. "I'm here safe, and I'm heading down to meet Amelia and get my luggage. I miss you, and I love you. I'll talk to you soon."

She'd also texted me a self-portrait of herself and Amelia waving at the camera. I took a picture of myself sitting up in bed and sent it back. One day down, thanks to my travel time, nine to go. I got up and showered, getting ready for the first round of interviews and a photo-shoot. It was going to be a long trip.

Five days in Europe flew by. France, Poland, England, and Italy were a blur. Day six seemed to drag by while I was in Germany. I had been on my own promoting _Bloodlust _until then and was waiting for two cast mates to join me for a big premiere in Munich, and then we'd all go to Madrid for the last event. There had been talk of a stop in London which Pam had quickly squashed, offering up a couple of spots on Polish morning TV. I gladly sat on sets that looked slightly too garish to be _Good Morning America_ or even _Regis and Kelly_, listening to hosts attempt to speak English and answering audience questions that had to be translated. I had no intention of being in the same country as Sophie Anne LeClerq unless it was absolutely unavoidable. I was rather hoping the bitch decided to become an expat and stay in London.

I'd been dragging my suitcases across the continent and eating mostly room service for days. The glamorous life wasn't always so fabulous. The only workout I'd gotten was sit-ups in my hotel room, because I got tired of being asked to sign autographs while I was trying to run on the treadmill in the hotel. That wasn't entirely true, I'd run from a pack of paparazzi one day when I tried to go out for lunch on my own. It wasn't that I didn't want to sign autographs or be nice to fans, but I really just wanted to jog, or eat, in relative peace.

I was glad that many people spoke English, but I was still trying to use small phrases of the home language no matter where I was. I didn't want to be the dumb American that didn't even try to learn the language. I had learned the important things, like: yes, no, please, thank you, and the ever useful phrases, I'm not really a vampire, I just play one on TV and I'm sorry, but, no, I will not bite you.

My co-stars that were continuing the tour with me arrived just before dinner. Mike Spencer and Preston Pardloe played a vampire sheriff and his daytime assistant. They had a contemptuous on-screen relationship that often had viewers wondering why Mike's character hadn't just killed his underling. In real life however, they were very good friends who never met a beer, or a woman, they didn't like.

Sookie had been pleased that I was doing my publicity tour with all male cast members, until she'd heard who they were. Then I'd gotten that look, not just an evil eye, but an evil wife eye, that meant she knew exactly what they were capable of, and I had better not take any part in it. I hadn't really had a bachelor party, and I got the impression that she would have had the exact same reaction, though she may have trusted Sam a little more to watch over me. I was honestly glad that they were only with me on the second half of the trip. I might have done some serious liver damage hanging out with them for the entire ten days.

The first night they joined me, we went to a network party at Königlicher Hirschgarten, a Münchner Biergarten.. Throughout that evening, I managed to drunk text Sookie six times, each one less coherent than the last, filled with attempts to type I love you and I miss you. She'd responded only once with a simple message: Take an aspirin. Go to bed. ALONE. Love you, too. She'd sent that between messages three and four. Her payback was to call me at six in the morning Munich time to ask how I felt, even though she knew I didn't have an interview until 9 a.m.

Thirty minutes later my phone rang, and Pam called with some innocuous question that could have waited. Just when I was about to fall asleep the phone rang again. It was my mother. My wife was mean. She wasn't mad, but she was certainly enjoying my pain, and I could almost hear her laughter in my head as my mother carried on about a museum she said I needed to visit when I got to Madrid. Finally I interrupted her, "Mom, what are you doing up at one in the morning calling me?"

"Oh. Um. I couldn't sleep."

"Really? Or did Sookie tell you to set your alarm?"

"What?" She laughed, and it was completely fake. "No. With the time change I figured this was a good time to call."

"Right. Goodnight, Mom. Have dad text Sookie and tell her that I'm up now."

"Goodnight, honey. Love you."

"Yeah. Love you, too."

I showered and changed and thought about calling my wife and waking her up because I knew she'd gone to bed after my dad texted her. I decided to hold off and call her after lunch when I knew she'd be getting up at home. She giggled when she answered the phone, and I wouldn't have been able to stay mad at her even if I was upset.

Hanging out with Mike and Preston was like looking through a window into my past. It was eye opening to see how far I had come from my early partying days in Hollywood. I'd never been _that_ wild, but I'd certainly made the round of the night clubs and partied a fair amount. In a matter of only a season I'd burnt out on it though. The hangovers and lack of sleep cut into my ability to remember my lines, and I was still trying to get a big break. Then when I'd gotten a good role, I hadn't wanted to lose it, so I'd buckled down and made friends with the quieter side of Hollywood, which was much more my style anyway.

I somehow knew though, that Amelia was plying Sookie with just as much alcohol as we were consuming in Europe. I'd heard mention of a party at Felicia and Ginger's that would involve upside down margarita's, shot-skis, and some kind of Jell-O shots in a caulk gun. LA may have cornered the market on the glittery nightlife, but those Midwesterners partied down and dirty. They had booked a room even before they had tickets for the Jimmy Buffett concert that they made an annual pilgrimage to. You would have thought they just saw him in Chicago, but while we were in Hawaii, Tray had gotten very animated explaining to me that a soccer pavilion was no place to go to a concert and that they drove to either Indianapolis or somewhere in Wisconsin to go to a 'real amphitheater.'

I hid from Mike and Preston the night before we flew out of Madrid. It was a total puss move, but I had another puss in mind, and I just wanted to get home to her. I packed my things and tried to get a good night's sleep before my flight home. I knew I'd sleep on the plane, but it certainly wouldn't be restful. Sookie had gotten home two days earlier, and I was jealous of her being back in California. I enjoyed traveling, but I liked to stay in one place longer than a day or two at a time. After ten days of running, I was exhausted.

I'd gone through customs in New York, so when I landed in LA all I needed to do was grab my bags. They were the first onto the carousel, and I grabbed them quickly, ready to be home. It had been close to sixteen hours since I left Madrid, and I wasn't thinking that clearly, but when I turned to look for my driver, I swore I saw Sookie wearing a sexy little chauffeur hat and holding a little sign that said Northman. I ran a hand over my face thinking I was so tired I was hallucinating, and then I heard her giggle.

"Sookie?" I was sure I sounded as confused as I felt. I felt like a cartoon character who needed to shake my head and rub my eyeballs.

"Aww." She stepped forward putting her arms around me. "You look so lost. It's really me, baby."

The cameras whirred around us. The paparazzi that had been waiting for me at the door had closed in when I stopped to see if she was a mirage.

I breathed in the smell of her as we hugged. I smelled sunshine and the ocean and knew she'd been for a walk at the beach. I loved being able to intuit little things like that about her and her day. When we kissed she tasted of coffee, but not plain coffee from home, it was sweeter, with a hint of caramel; she'd been to her Starbucks. The chauffeur hat said she was in a playful mood, which made me smile. She carried a small purse that I knew contained nothing more than her phone, her wallet and her keys. I also knew that because of that small purse, she was taking me straight home, no stops. If we'd been going anywhere else she would be carrying a bag large enough for me to get lost in. It was a tell she had, although I'm not sure she even realized it.

She was wearing a fuzzy sweater over a knee length dress. I ran my hands over the soft sweater, trying to remember how the dress fastened. We started walking towards the car, and I put my hand on her back, feeling the zipper right in the middle of it. I smiled to myself, and slid my hand down over her hip, feeling the fabric smooth over her skin, nothing between her and the dress. In my mind I worked out exactly how to get her undressed, knowing full well it would only be happening after I raised her skirt and fucked her in the garage. We weren't making it into the house.

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**A/N:**

I love this Eric. He is such a guy, but so in love with Sookie. *sigh*

Thanks so much for reading! Stop and leave some review love! You know you want to!

**DON'T FORGET - NO UPDATE NEXT WEEK - H.E. RETURNS JAN 4, 2011. **

Do people outside of the Midwest know what shot-ski's are? Literally, a ski with shot glasses glued to it for group shots. Here's a picture: http:/bit(dot)ly/hQZADy .

The beirgärten in Munich: http:/www(dot)hirschgarten(dot)com/


	45. Estrogen

**Title: Halo Effect  
Chapter 45: Estrogen  
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**  
Hello all! Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great time celebrating and is getting back into the groove. I'm still struggling. LOL

If you happen to be a reader of twifics as well as SVM, I posted a one/shot the other day for the Pick a Pic Challenge. Go to my profile and check it out. It's called **What Are the Odds?** and stars Bachelorward. (And an Emmett that I really kind of love.)

So...I've been thinking for a while that this story was beginning to wind down, and all of the sudden we're really close. I think there's maybe another chapter and an epilogue. I don't know how it happened, but that's where we are. Just trying to prepare you.

Big thank to the babes **A Redhead Thing, Sapfirerose **and** TVgirlSVM.** These girls make every day better for me, and they have been a godsend with betaing and prereading this. Thanks girls.

Okay, I'll get out of the way.

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**SPOV**  
It's amazing how impatient you can get once you've decided to move forward on something, whether you mean to or not. I didn't intend to cry in the bathroom when I got my period, but I did; and then I cried because I shouldn't be crying. I knew that both Amelia and Eric's friend Nicole, who we'd been to dinner with recently, had been trying so much longer, and I felt like a horrible person for being upset after only three months. I knew that it could go on for a long time, years even, and we still may never be successful. I seriously needed to get my shit together.

Thankfully, Alcide was the only person in the house when it happened, and I could be a crazy hormonal bitch to him. He wouldn't think anything of it.

It was also amazing that once Eric and I decided to try to get pregnant, there were babies and expectant mothers everywhere. A receptionist at work, my Starbucks girl, the neighbor, every random stranger in Los Angeles that I would have never noticed before but couldn't tear my eyes away from now. They were everywhere. I was heading to Rachel's baby shower in Colorado for the weekend, and I felt like I was beginning to lose my mind.

Eric didn't really seem to notice my decreasing sanity or he wasn't letting on, but he was one hundred percent on board with operation fuck like rabbits during Sookie's most fertile time and most of the rest of the month for good measure. He was working on a movie, having wrapped the season of _Bloodlust_ and was talking about squeezing in another one if he could at the end of the summer.

I had considered cancelling my trip to avoid being immersed in baby happiness for the weekend, but there was no reason, or excuse, that would go over without questions from every member of the Northman family. Not to mention not going would be downright selfish, and that just wasn't me. At least since I was just finishing my period, I knew for sure I wasn't pregnant and wouldn't be worried about having a cocktail with Zee. I was going to need one.

Eric took me to the airport and I laughed at his tense shoulders; he didn't mind that I was going, he just didn't want me to leave him, even for just a few days. It wasn't jealousy; it was the insane connection that we shared. Being apart when he went to Europe had stirred up all sorts of crap. I'd thought that he was becoming a jealous freak, but he had just been overcome by how much he was going to miss me. Some girls would have been irritated by that or thought he was being über needy, but I saw it for what it was. Being apart from each other left us feeling incomplete, a piece missing. I wondered if we would always be like that because it certainly seemed a little unhealthy or worthy of a cheesy romance novel.

I caught my flight, thankful that Elsa and Jens flew out a few days earlier so I didn't need to worry about traveling with them or her specifically. She'd been great since the wedding, not pressing too much about babies and trips to visit them over the phone, but when she saw me in person she would sense my weakness immediately. I was going to have to come up with some sort of explanation or she'd jump to the conclusion we were getting divorced or something.

I had a message from Zee when I checked in to the hotel. She wanted to grab a drink and talk before we met Rachel's parents and the Northmans for dinner. I got the impression that things between Zee and Chris had gotten pretty serious, and I knew that she wouldn't discuss that in front of his mother.

I freshened up and met her at the hotel bar. She was sitting in a corner booth, sipping a cosmo. A waitress came over and took my drink order, quickly returning with a gin and tonic. Zee and I had exchanged greetings, but when my drink came she sighed and smiled.

"So..."

"So," I responded. "How are you?"

She smiled. "I'm good. You?"

I nodded. "Good."

Then we both started laughing and talking at almost the same time.

"How are things with Chris?"  
"How's Eric?"

"You first," I laughed. "How are you two? I've heard some gossip through the brotherly grapevine, but what's the real news?"

She raised an eyebrow. Oh, those Northmans and the brow raising; Chris had infected her, too. "I'm interested in the gossip, but the news is that I'm moving in to Chris's place when my lease runs out."

"Really?" I grinned. "That's exciting! Do you think? I mean, before you move in?"

She knew what I was talking about. I could tell from the sparkle in her eye. "God, I hope so." She sighed. "It could be a long engagement if he's not ready to get married right away, just as long as I know that's what he wants in the long run. Have you heard anything?"

"Not specifically. Those boys are pretty good at keeping secrets but I did hear a joke about Sven and Chris racing to the altar."

"Oh my god, really? Does that mean Sven and Rachel, too?"

"I guess. He gave her that promise ring, but only because she refused to get engaged while pregnant."

"Yeah, I guess I understand," she laughed. "Those Northmans get pretty righteous about doing the right thing. She just wants to be sure it's what he wants, not just what he thinks he should do."

"Have you seen them together? It's what he wants. Eric said he knew when Sven got a job that required real shoes."

We laughed and talked for another half hour before heading out to meet everyone at the restaurant, and it was nice to relax and get out of my own head for a while. I knew that I'd confide in her by the end of the weekend, I just needed to be in control for a bit longer. It was kind of a nice change.

Dinner was at the Denver Chop House and I was excited to try their Buffalo tenderloin, although I convinced Jens to share a little of his Limoncello chicken with me, too. Jens asked if I was going to write anything up about the meal, and I assured him that I would mention it on the blog. Sven told everyone the story about Chris wanting veto power over the pictures of him that I put online. Everyone got along well, and a number of conversations went on around the table at once. Rachel's parents were sweet. I think the promise ring had made a huge difference with them, but I wasn't bringing it up.

Rachel had ordered a Gorgonzola chicken salad, earning an eyebrow raise from Jens, and she laughed, understanding that she should have been ordering red meat at a Chop House, but she explained that it wasn't sitting well with the baby and she'd had a craving for salad. Elsa and Rachel's mother, Melissa, began comparing notes on their pregnancy cravings, and I ordered another cocktail, which I'm certain didn't go unnoticed by Zee and Rachel. Our meals were delicious, and I made sure to save room for bourbon peach cheesecake and ice wine for dessert. I thought about the Key lime pie in honor of Eric, but I couldn't pass up the cheesecake. I hadn't had a peach bourbon version of it before, and it was intriguing, and as it turned out, excellent.

I met Zee for breakfast in the morning, hitting a coffee shop across from the hotel. We got our muffins and coffees and sat down next to the fireplace, relaxing into the worn leather seats. We sipped our drinks, and she smiled at me over her mug.

"Are you going to tell me what has you so stressed out?"

I groaned as I plunked my drink down onto the side table. "I knew you could tell."

She waved her hand at me to continue.

"I'm not pregnant."

"And..."

"And, I want to be."

"You know how ridiculous that is, right? You've been trying for what, four months?" She chuckled.

"Three," I said quietly.

"Sookie! Come on. You know it can take months, even years!" She laughed with understanding in her eyes.

"I know! Ugh. I just feel like, now that I'm ready, I don't want to wait."

"Stressing out like that isn't going to help you, and if you're not careful you'll get all obsessed."

I sighed. "I know. I started reading about things like charting my discharges and taking my basal temperature every morning. Who wants to do that? I can't even believe I just said the word discharge to you!"

"Sookie." She shook her head and chuckled.

"I know!" I laughed. "It's unrealistic. I know, but I want to be pregnant already, and now there are pregnant women and babies everywhere!"

"And Rachel got pregnant when she wasn't trying," she said quietly.

"I didn't say that," I said defensively. We looked at each other for a minute, and I felt my shoulders sag again. "But yeah. She didn't even try."

She put a hand over mine. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine how you're feeling, but this is really just the beginning. How does Eric feel?"

I snorted. "He's completely oblivious to my neurosis."

She raised that damn eyebrow.

"Okay, well, he's not oblivious, but he has no idea why I'm acting like this." I took another sip of coffee. "I'm actually kind of glad you said something. I haven't really had anyone to talk to about this. I mean, Amelia has been trying to get pregnant off and on for two years, but they can't afford the Invitro, so they just keep trying, and I'm pretty sure Daph is pregnant but not telling anyone yet, so I can't say anything to her. Although, she'd probably totally understand." I sighed.

She ate some of her muffin top and smiled. "My one sister got pregnant within a month of going off the pill. The other tried everything for two years. She did Natural Family Planning, you know charting the discharge and temperatures to know when she was ovulating and most fertile but nothing. Then she did fertility treatments, and eventually it took three rounds of Invitro before she got pregnant and carried a baby to term. I know all sorts of statistics about fertility. You really need to relax and let nature do its thing a little longer before you worry about it."

I had so many fears, and she was the first person that I'd opened up to. I thought for a second about how to put into words everything that I had been feeling. It wasn't so much that I wasn't pregnant yet, but I was afraid it would never happen. I looked down at my coffee for a second, and then just asked her, "What if I can't get pregnant at all? What if I'm too old, or something?"

"You're what, twenty-nine? You're not too old. Well, I don't know for sure, but, you know. If you're really worried you should talk to your doctor."

I bit my lip, thinking about some of the horrible things that Bill had said to me over the years and especially through the course of our divorce when the lawyers were awarding me a large portion of his savings. I felt tears prick my eyes. That was the other weight that was absolutely crushing me. "What if I'm not supposed to be a mom?"

She threw her head back and laughed, leaving me looking at her in shock. "Sookie, if you're not supposed to be a mom, then the universe wouldn't have put you with Eric Northman. You know full well that if you can't conceive on your own, by whatever means necessary, that man will adopt an African village of children with you."

I snorted. "He would. Wouldn't he?"

She grinned. "It will be fine, Sookie." Then suddenly she looked deadly serious. "But you need to get it together before we go to the shower; you know that woman can smell blood in the water."

Elsa. She was so right. "Is it too early to drink?"

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The shower was fun and had a surfing theme that they were also using in the baby Connor's room. They had decided on naming him Connor Jens. Rachel got to pick the first name, and because he was the first male grandchild, Sven insisted on using his dad's name as the middle name. I don't think there was ever any question as to the fact the child's last name would be Northman. Unless Rachel had some strong genes in her family it would be undeniable anyway; all of the Northman males looked alike.

We played party games, estimating how long of a ribbon you would need to go around Rachel's pregnant belly, searching a bowl full of rice for tiny safety pins while blindfolded, and guessing which favorite things had been Sven's or Rachel's growing up. We had typical shower food and a marble sheet cake decorated with a baby on a blue surf board. I managed to avoid Elsa for most of the party, but she cornered me with a forkful of cake in my mouth.

"Sookie, is everything alright? You seem...out of sorts this weekend."

"Really?" I tried to laugh. "No. I'm fine. I've just been busy with work."

She eyed me suspiciously. "There's nothing wrong is there? You're just busy?"

"Yes. Just busy. Thanks for your concern, though." I knew I hadn't really told her anything and waited for her to press on.

"Well, you know you can talk to me if you ever need to."

Oh, yeah. Right. So not happening. "Thanks so much, Elsa, but I'm fine."

"Alright. Well, you be sure to take care of yourself."

She smiled at me sweetly, but I knew what she really meant. She meant my body would be the vessel for her next grandchild so I had better take care of it. Or perhaps she meant something a little nicer, and I was being a hormonal wreck again. What the hell was I going to be like when I actually did get pregnant?

Rachel came around the corner and saw us. I must have looked bad, like my head was going to explode or I was about to commit a homicide, because she immediately grabbed my elbow and told Elsa there was someone she wanted me to meet.

She drew me into a crowd of her cousins, making introductions quickly. When everyone returned to talking she spoke quietly in my ear, "You were alone with her over there for too long. I wanted to check on you, and it looked like your head was about to spin. Everything okay?"

"I'll be fine, just tired and stressed. Thank you for rescuing me."

She smiled sweetly. "No problem."

Rachel and I hadn't really had a lot of opportunities to spend time together, seeing that she'd been pregnant since the day I met her, but she seemed like a wonderful girl, and I understood why Sven had fallen for her.

"Another month?" I asked, amazed at the giant round belly that stuck out from her small frame.

"Twenty-four days. Not that I'm counting."

"Are you two ready?"

She laughed. "I don't know if you can ever be ready. You might want to tell Eric to screen his calls. I have a feeling Sven is about to start panicking."

"Aw. He'll be fine. You're going to be great parents."

"So will you, Sookie," she said quietly.

I swallowed hard and smiled back at her. I had no idea how she knew we were trying or that it was even on my mind. Maybe Zee said something to her. Maybe it was obvious. "Thanks. I hope so."

She leaned forward and gave me a hug, as much as she could with her baby belly between us. "I need to go sit down. My feet and back are killing me."

"Right. Of course." She wandered away, and I spent the rest of the shower chatting with Zee and a couple of Rachel's aunts who wanted to talk about my blog.

Zee and I grabbed a cab back to the hotel, and after sitting in my room and talking for a bit, we decided to grab an early dinner at one of the restaurants I wanted to check out and then spend the night lounging in the hotel hot tub.

I checked out and took a shuttle to the airport in the morning, anxious to get home and get started on project get pregnant and be happy while trying.

When I deplaned in LAX, I headed straight for the baggage area to find Alcide. Eric had an interview with someone from Entertainment Weekly, and since he had insisted on dropping me off, I needed someone to pick me up. I was sure that Alcide had thrown a hissy fit, but Eric assured me he would be there.

I looked up, trying to find Alcide's unruly dark hair, but instead my eyes found a surprise. Eric. Wearing the chauffeurs' hat and a smile. Well, he was in black jeans and a v-neck t-shirt too, but all I cared about was the look on his face. He was smiling at me, smirking really, proud of himself for surprising me. He held a little sign that read "Mrs. Northman," and I had to laugh to myself at his possessiveness. He'd been a wreck about being apart when he went to Europe, I should have known that he wouldn't take this weekend trip well, but he swore that he was okay. That he understood that this was a girls weekend. His dad hadn't even gone to the shower but had stayed at the apartment with Sven.

I stopped in front of him, doing my best to keep a straight face, stood my suitcase beside him and started walking again, expecting him to follow me. I heard his loud laughter behind me and let my smile escape. I slowed down so he could pass me, and he looked down with a raised eyebrow.

"Mrs. Northman." He nodded a little greeting and led me out to the car. He'd brought out the Sting Ray. I felt my heart speed up just looking at it. "I'm sorry, ma'am. You'll have to ride in the front with me."

"Don't worry. I'll be sure to tell my husband that you borrowed his favorite car."

There was a rumble, a low growl, in his chest, and I wanted to throw myself at him. Before he closed my car door, he cleared his throat and managed to say, "Yes, ma'am."

I watched him in the mirror as he walked around the back of the car, discreetly adjusting himself in his pants. When he climbed into the driver's seat, I saw him close his eyes for a second before turning towards me. "Straight home, ma'am?"

"Sookie, please. And yes. My husband should be at home waiting for me."

"As you wish," he said, trying to continue the charade but quoting one of my favorite movies.

I snorted and laughed, unable to hold it in anymore.

"Shit." He laughed for a few seconds and then looked at me, grinning. "That was impressive and really hot."

"I know, right?" I giggled. "Get us home already, would ya?"

We talked a little on the drive, and he explained that his interview had been rescheduled for later in the week. I told him about the shower and that Rachel thought Sven was getting nervous. He laughed because ultimately he was going to have to call Sven for advice when we had kids. It would be an interesting role reversal for them.

We made it home, and though I thought we wouldn't make it into the house, we were in the kitchen before he started to take my clothes off. Eventually we were naked, making out against the breakfast bar, and somehow I had ended up wearing the chauffeurs' hat. He lifted me to the counter top and took his time kissing his way down my body before focusing on where I wanted his attention most. With my feet on the bar stools for leverage, I arched my hips into his face as his tongue and fingers did amazing things to my center. I was panting and crying out, telling him how close I was, when he stopped and lifted his head.

"Oh, god," I groaned. "Don't stop. I'm so close." I needed to finish, for him to do something. Kiss me, lick me, anything. "Please," I managed, and when I met his eyes I knew that was all he was waiting for.

He held my eyes as he lowered his head again, taking my swollen clit between his lips and pressing hard with his tongue. I came undone as he pushed two fingers inside of me, hitting the perfect spot without even trying. My walls were still tight on his fingers when he pulled them out and quickly replaced them with one deep thrust of his hips.

"Fuck." I dropped my head back and pushed my chest out, riding out the amazing sensations as he filled me repeatedly.

One of his hands held my hip while the other made its way to my breasts, kneading them and pinching my nipples. I raised my head to look at him, and his eyes were focused on our joined bodies moving together. I moaned and bit my lip, overwhelmed by the look of awe and love on his face. His eyes jerked up to mine at the sound, his hand tightening on my hip. Then he tensed and made a couple of hard strokes before pressing his pelvis tightly against mine, cumming with a groan.

When he finished, I sat up, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and held him close. His head fell on my shoulder and we rested, catching our breath. After a minute, he started placing gentle kisses along my neck and jaw.

He whispered, "I love you, Sookie. I can't believe how much I miss you when you're gone."

"I love you, too," I murmured, my hands finding their way into his hair. "I don't really like being away from you either, but we seem to have this reunion sex bit down pretty well."

He laughed. "We made it in the house this time."

"And we didn't set off any of the car alarms."

We both laughed, remembering rocking the Rover so hard that he'd had to scramble to find the keys and disarm the rather loud anti-theft mechanism we'd tripped.

He exhaled loudly and stepped back, leaving me feeling cold. He smirked, knowing exactly what I was thinking as he handed me his shirt and made his way to the refrigerator for water without putting anything on himself. I slipped down off the counter and made a quick trip to the bathroom before coming to join him on the couch where he'd stretched out after pulling on his underwear.

"Scoot," I said, trying to lay down with him.

"Mm hm," he murmured, rolling to his side and pulling me back against his chest.

We stayed like that, quietly soaking in each other's presence, and I couldn't have been happier. I was just on the verge of falling asleep when his voice interrupted those plans.

"Sookie, I have to ask you something strange."

I felt myself tense a little. "Okay. Try me."

"Did Bill ever do any work on your teeth?"

"Excuse me?"

He laughed. "I don't mean have you had your teeth worked on. I mean literally, was Bill the dentist you saw or did he ever work on your teeth?"

"Oddly," I chuckled. "Bill would not work on my teeth. He had a thing about not working on anyone who might think they could get something free." I felt Eric's body relax behind me, and I hadn't even realized he was tense. Why the hell would talking about Bill and my teeth make him worry? "Eric, what's going on?"

"I need to show you something." He sat up and went down the hallway, then came back with a manila folder. "You don't want to know where Pam got these, but I think with what you just said we can stop them from being distributed."

He handed me a sheaf of advertisements. They all contained my smiling face, a Beverly Hills address and the tag line, "William Compton, DDS - The Man Behind Mrs. Northman's Smile."

"You're kidding me, right?" He had to be kidding. These couldn't be real. Bill was moving to Los Angeles? And trying to use me as advertisement? Oh, hell no.

"I'm sorry, Lover. They are. We'll take care of it, though. I promise."

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**A/N:**  
Bill! What are you thinking? And Sook - get a grip! LOL (I didn't forget Eric, he's his usual swoonworthy self.)  
As always, thanks so much for reading. Leave me a little review lovin' if you want. It always makes me smile.

Denver ChopHouse - http:/www(dot)denverchophouse(dot)com/


	46. Beautiful Girl

**Title: Halo Effect  
Chapter 46: Beautiful Girl  
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**  
So...here we are. The final chapter before the epilogue. I'm kind of overwhelmed, so I'm not going to say much. I'll save the big tears for next week. Thanks as always to everyone who reads. This has been an amazing ride.

Big thanks to the team of experts, **A Redhead Thing**, **Sapfirerose** and **TVgirlSVM**. They are all in denial that this is over too, so you're in good company.

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**EPOV**  
On the way back from dropping Sookie at the airport, Pam had called me with news about Bill's rental agreement in Beverly Hills and the marketing plan he had been working on with an agency in Chicago. I knew he was up to something ridiculous when he sent that damn card after our wedding.

Pam wasn't that worried, saying that Sookie had nice teeth, but they certainly hadn't been done. I had no idea what she meant.

"You know, capped and whitened. _Done_."

"Oh, yeah. No, I don't think so. She uses those white strip things." I was trying to think about Sookie's teeth. They weren't perfect, but they were fine. They were teeth. "What does it matter?"

Pam sighed, and I imagined her rolling her eyes. "If she hasn't had them done, then he didn't do them. He's not the man behind her smile. You are, dumbass."

She had a point. I just hoped that it was a helpful one.

Sookie seemed to be in a better mood when she got back from Colorado, though I had no idea what had changed. I couldn't imagine that a weekend with my mother had gone by without some kind of drama, but she didn't mention it. She also seemed a little less anxious about getting pregnant and having sex all of the time. Before Colorado, she'd had almost a sense of desperation, like she might burst into tears if we didn't do it right then. I was thrilled that we were trying to get pregnant and excited to start a family, but I didn't want her to get all crazy with trying. I had a feeling pregnant Sookie was going to be crazy enough as it was.

Sven had begun calling almost every other day with insane baby questions that I had no answers for, but I did my best. There were times when he called me after not getting the answer he wanted from our father and other times when he didn't even call dad with his ridiculousness, he just jumped straight to calling me. My favorite had been the circular discussion regarding using cloth diapers to be environmentally friendly and his hesitation at then using a diaper service to clean them because of the chemicals used for cleaning them, not to mention his concerns with fuel use and exhaust fumes from pick-up and delivery of the diapers. After listening to him for about twenty minutes I finally interrupted.

"Sven, shut the fuck up." That was always the best way to get his attention, and it worked as I expected.

"What?"

"Seriously? I understand you're trying to single handedly save the planet and all, but can you tell me that you are going to be okay with washing out shitty stinky diapers on a daily basis? Because if you don't use disposable diapers that's what you're going to do unless you have a diaper service. And don't even tell me you're expecting Rachel to wash them all, or I'll fly out there and kick your ass."

Less than a week later my dad called to say that Rachel's water had broken, and they were headed to the hospital. After sixteen hours of labor, my nephew, Connor, was born. He weighed seven pounds, ten ounces and was twenty-two inches long. I know Rachel had hoped he'd have red hair like her, but he looked exactly like Sven.

Part of me wanted to hop a flight to Colorado to be with them, but they had enough to deal with having both sets of grandparents there. I figured Sookie and I would go out after a few months when things had calmed down a bit, and they could appreciate the break.

Connor's arrival made my status as Uncle Eric suddenly real, which somehow in my head brought me one step closer to being someone's father. Maybe it was a warped feeling that I'd been more of a father figure than a brother to Sven, and Connor's birth really brought home the fact that my own child was going to be so much more a part of me than even he had been. I sat in the living room the morning following his birth, watching the sun come up, and thought about the changes that having a family could bring Sookie and me, and I was ready for it. No hesitation. I was a little shocked at how much I'd grown up since meeting her, and I didn't want any of it without Sookie.

I'd been trying to work through the drama with Bill without Sookie finding out, but it just couldn't be done. My lawyer, Sterling Norris, had advised me to talk to Sookie and get back to him when I knew more. I had waited to talk to her until after she came back from Colorado. When she told me that Bill hadn't in fact done any work on her teeth, I knew we had the ammunition we needed. Sookie gave me the name of the dentist she'd used in Chicago and told me that before the divorce Bill had been trained to whiten teeth, but he hadn't done it on anyone but himself. That sounded like Bill.

Sookie had wanted to call Sid Matt, her lawyer from Chicago, but Pam convinced her that Sterling was both closer and more versed in advertising law and the use of someone's image without permission. Sookie had examined the advertisements for a hint as to when the photo had been taken, and she was pretty sure that it was from a wedding she had been in. She didn't remember any other occasion that she had worn the earrings in the photo, and she was wearing far more eye make-up than usual in the picture, which she said had been applied at the salon for all of the bridesmaids.

We sat down with Sterling and drank coffee around a large table, going over Sookie's divorce papers and talking about Trade Law and similar cases he'd reviewed. It was pretty basic law, straightforward enough for even Compton to understand. He couldn't use Sookie's image for financial gain without her permission or without giving her a cut of the profits. The question was however, could we make a preemptive strike and stop him from using the materials at all or would he begin to use them and force us to file an injunction?

We could have had a problem with the way we had found out about the advertisements. If we were being honest, we found out about them through Pam's investigator. There wasn't a lot of honesty in Hollywood or lawsuits, though. Lucky for us, it turned out that the marketing group that Bill tried to work with in Chicago employed several big fans of Sookie's blog, who were not happy that Bill seemed to have no concern using images of his ex-wife without her permission. They had, in fact, told him to find another agency to work with and contacted a friend of a friend who had called Sookie about his plans two days after I told her the news. On top of that, Bill's new landlord was Pam's ex-girlfriend's husband. So we were able to say that we'd heard about his plans through those means. It was really only a stretch of the truth.

As Sterling suspected, there was nothing in the divorce agreement giving Bill any sort of permission to use images of Sookie in advertising. At the time of their divorce, he hadn't anticipated ever having the need for anything like that. I'm sure he thought he'd spend the coming years rubbing his perceived successes in Sookie's face. Her connection with me, and subsequently her move to L.A., had taken Bill completely by surprise, but he was going to try to capitalize on her if he could.

One thing that I would say for Sterling is that he knew how to work with people. When I thought things were wrapping up, he asked one more important question, directed only to Sookie.

"Do you want this entirely squashed or are you willing to negotiate for profits?"

I wanted to come over the table at him in disbelief, but he was right. It was ultimately her decision, and although I thought I knew what her answer was, it was important for me to hear it directly from her.

"What? No. I don't want anything from him. I want this stopped. He has no right to use my picture for anything. He lost that right when he fucked his assistant and made me believe it was my fault." Whoa. A little too much self-disclosure for Sterling in my opinion, but she was pissed. I'd give her that. Her lips made a hard line, and her eyes were dark. "Mr. Norris, I don't want him to use my photos at all, but if he does, I want you to take that bastard for everything you can. I'll donate it to charity or something."

Sterling smirked at her. It was exactly the reaction he wanted. I had to admit, I was pretty pleased with her answer myself.

"That's all I needed to know, Mrs. Northman. I'll get started on things right away and keep you both posted."

We stood, and then we all shook hands before Sookie and I made our way out to the car.

She looked over at me and sighed as I put on my seatbelt. "Fuck my life." She laughed and shook her head.

"Hey. It's not the end of the world. We'll deal with it."

"I know. I was just hoping for a Bill-free year."

I laughed. "So was I, Lover. So was I."

Aside from Bill, things were going well for us. I'd been busy setting up some roles for after we taped the next season of _Bloodlust_ and lining things up for our trip back to Michigan for the film festival. Keira was filming in Europe in June and couldn't make it, but for the past few months the producers of _Western Sky_ had worked with the Waterfront Film Festival to get the movie on the schedule since I was going to be there anyway. When everything was set up, a contact from the festival joked and asked if I needed a police escort to make it to the screening this year. I'd laughed it off, but eventually I had Alcide set up a car and driver for us, just to be safe.

I couldn't wait for Sookie to find out about the surprise I had for her in Michigan. I'd spent the last month on the phone with people around Saugatuck setting things up and was still working through how I would pull off the big reveal. I'd finished a few publicity things for _Bloodlust_ and done a photo-shoot for a _GQ_ article about supernatural characters. I posed with a couple of other actors who played a werewolf and a warlock.

There had been a little bit more drama with Bill, but Sterling had taken care of everything. Bill didn't seem to realize who he was dealing with and had told my lawyer that he was sure everything could be settled if he had a sit down meeting with Sookie, alone. The injunction that he was slapped with almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth had scared him straight. After the projected damages and royalties Sterling documented that Sookie should receive if he were to go through with using her picture, Bill would have been bankrupt. He'd readily agreed not to ever use Sookie's or my names or images in any advertising or promotional material. If we could have managed it, I'd have loved to have stopped him from moving to Los Angeles, but I'd take our victory regardless. I had a feeling that Bill would be a thorn in our side for years to come.

Suddenly it was summer, and Pam and I met over coffee to finalize plans for events that she was lining up for me when we got home from Saugatuck. She made a joke about being a lady of leisure for two weeks, then handed me a fat stack of scripts and reminded me that I had to put them in my carry on and not to let them out of my sight.

We were heading to the airport in the morning, and Sookie was thrilled. We were flying in a full week before the film festival to relax and vacation, although I wasn't sure how much rest we would be getting with the list of things she wanted to do, see and eat while we were there. We were going to drive up from Chicago for the simple reason that she wanted to pick up tiramisu on the way to the Lake and on the way back to the airport. My foodie wife and her obsessions.

I stood in the bedroom doorway watching her. I had thought she was packing, and I'm sure she was, but she was going about it oddly. She would pick up a pair of shoes from the closet and set them by an outfit and then build another outfit on the other side. I watched her do it a couple of times before I spoke.

"What the hell are you doing?" I laughed.

She looked over her shoulder at me. "Matching outfits and shoes so I don't have to take too many pairs. They take up too much room."

I walked into her closet and picked up her black flip flops, black heeled sandals and a pair of tennis shoes. "Good to go, babe."

She laughed at me. "You're so funny."

I raised an eyebrow. "Show me something that one of these pairs won't go with."

She reached into the suitcase and pulled out what I first thought was a bikini but then realized was a set of matching chocolate brown lace bra and panties. She put a hand on her hip and raised her eyebrow at me.

"Wow. Yeah. You don't need any shoes with that outfit." I was trying to play it cool, but I was starting to get a little hot under the collar. She would look fucking amazing in those. "But," I swallowed. "That wasn't my point."

She giggled and came over to put an arm around me, her other hand running down the front of my pants. "What exactly is your point?"

I put my hand over hers, stilling it. "My point," I pressed her hand against me. "Is that if you don't get all of this crap in a suitcase I'm going to sweep it off the bed and have my way with you."

"Mmm." She laughed as she stepped away and began folding one of the outfits on the bed. "You're such a tease."

I shook my head. "Oh, I don't tease, Lover. I make good on my promises."

She had moved to the far side of the bed and looked up at me grinning as she folded. "Get out of here or I'll never get packed."

"Don't forget you can do laundry while we're there. It's not like we're staying in a hotel."

She put the outfit in the suitcase and tried to glare at me while holding back her laughter. "I know. I know. Now, go!"

I went to the living room to watch television since the bed was covered in the contents of Sookie's closet. When I opened my eyes, she was kneeling in front of me, brushing my hair off my forehead.

"Hey, you can come to bed now."

I pulled her towards me for a kiss without really thinking or fully waking. "Mmm," I sighed.

She giggled and took my hand, trying to pull me off the couch. "Come on, big guy."

I followed her to the bedroom, and the next thing I knew she was waking me up again, but this time she had wet hair and was wrapped in a towel. "Eric, you need to get in the shower."

I ran a hand over my face. "Did the alarm go off?"

"Yes, about twenty minutes ago." She leaned forward to kiss me, and I tried to pull her into bed with me. "No time," she murmured around my lips as we kissed.

"I can be quick," I whispered.

"You don't know the meaning of quick." She stood up and walked to the bathroom, dropping her towel and giving me a view of her gorgeous back side before she closed the door.

After a fast shower, I finished packing my last minute things just before Sookie yelled to tell me that the car was waiting for us. We made good time and arrived at the airport in a cloud of flashbulbs. I hated that the paparazzi lurked at the airport.

Hours later, we got our bags in Chicago with no more than a sideways glance from a few fans and some cell phone pictures. We climbed into a rental car outside of O'Hare Airport, and my wife was practically squealing with excitement.

"You were just here a few months ago when I went to Europe," I laughed.

"I know. But I still love it. The people here are different. They don't expect to see celebrities, and if they do it takes them a minute to realize it's really you and not a look alike. In Los Angeles there would be fifty pictures of you taken in the time it takes a Midwesterner to figure out who you are."

I laughed again, "Yes, but they're a little more star struck. Sweaty palms and stuttering as they ask to get a picture."

"Wouldn't you rather that than the people who push me out of the way and assume you'll give them one?"

"True. That does piss me off."

"Pisses me off, too."

I chuckled as I let the GPS guide me to Rose Angelis. Sookie ran in and got her tiramisu and then came over to the driver's side. She gave me a pouty look, and I rolled the window down. "What?"

"I want to drive."

"What?" I laughed. She hated driving in Los Angeles.

"This is Chicago. It's my city, and I love the drive up to Saugatuck. You can take a nap." She smiled sweetly.

The nap sealed the deal. I jumped out and let her take over the drive, and I was asleep before we crossed the Skyway Toll Bridge. It was like my body had just shut down. I didn't have to be on set. I didn't have any interviews or photo shoots. I didn't have any publicity events scheduled for an entire week. After that the things that I had planned at the festival were low-key compared to anything I did on a regular basis, and Sookie would be right by my side.

When I woke up we had crossed into Michigan, and Sookie was on the phone chattering away with who I assumed was Amelia based on the conversation. I put my hand on her thigh, and she glanced over at me to smile, never pausing as she spoke into the Bluetooth, laughing about some band they wanted to drag Tray and me out to see.

When she asked Amelia if she wanted to come over for dinner I squeezed her leg and shook my head no. She looked at me in confusion when I said we had plans. She repeated what I had said to Amelia, and I had to stop myself from laughing, because Amelia was in on the surprise. She knew exactly what the surprise was and wasn't going to be home for dinner anyway. She finished up the call and looked over at me expectantly.

"What?"

"We have plans? I'd kind of like to unpack, and aren't we going to be tired? What if we're late?"

"Just relax, Sookie. Everything will be fine. It's not a big deal if I need to let them know we'll be late."

She huffed and just continued driving. She wasn't a big fan of surprises, as I'd been told several times, but she always seemed to like what I came up with.

An hour or so later we pulled up in front of Sookie's little cottage. I carried in suitcases as she made a beeline for the freezer with the tiramisu. In the next instant, Amelia was running past me, and the girls were screaming like children. They were in the kitchen gossiping and laughing and before I came out of the bedroom from putting away our bags, Ginger and Felicia had joined them. Amelia saw me standing in the doorway, and I nodded at her.

"Tray have any cold beer next door?"

She smiled. "Of course. I'm sure he pulled one out for you." Then she glanced at her watch. "But we have to leave in about an hour so don't get too comfortable."

"Sounds good." I smiled and headed out the back door as Sookie started to whine about Amelia needing to leave. I just smirked.

"Dawson," I called out, trying to figure out if Tray was in the backyard.

"Polo," he yelled back as if we were playing Marco Polo.

I laughed and shook my head; it was something one of my brothers would have said. Sure enough, Tray was sitting in one of their big Adirondack chairs. He shared a beer with me, and we caught up as we drank. Amelia and Sookie joined us about thirty minutes later, Amelia so they could get ready to leave and Sookie still trying to figure out what our plans were.

We headed back to the house, and I waited for Sookie to start asking questions.

"What time are we heading out? What should I wear? Do I have time to take a shower?"

I was sitting on the couch smiling at her, which was pissing her off.

"You can wear whatever you want. Yes, you have time for a shower, and we need to leave when you're ready."

She raised an eyebrow. "What time is our reservation?"

"Lover, I said we had plans. We don't have a set reservation."

She didn't like that. "Eric, I don't want to stand around and wait somewhere for an hour before we eat."

"I can guarantee you we won't wait for an hour." I stood up and kissed her sweetly. "Now, go shower. Do you need me to help with the hard to reach spots?"

Her hands smoothed over my hips and then pulled my body against hers. "Me and you in that tiny shower?" she whispered, making me think about just that. Then she shook her head. "We'd never get out of here. Sit down, and imagine me naked, running my hands over myself. I'll be out in a bit."

I groaned, and she walked away. When I finished chuckling, I made a quick phone call to make sure that things were set up for Sookie's surprise and then headed into the bedroom to change. When Sookie moved from the bathroom and into the bedroom to dress a half an hour later, I texted Amelia so she could call in the order at Pizza Mambo. They weren't the fastest, but it wouldn't take an hour, so I was still safe from Sookie's wrath. When she was ready, she joined me in the living room wearing a cute summer dress and her flip flops. Her hair was in a ponytail, and she looked adorable.

We walked out to the rental car and climbed in. I backed out of the driveway and drove around downtown a little aimlessly so she wouldn't know where we were going right away. When I headed out of town towards the beach road she looked over at me in confusion. There wasn't anything resembling a restaurant this far out of town, and she knew it.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." We turned on the road to the beach house, and she began shaking her head. I parked and hurried around the car to open her door.

"What are we doing?" I had my arm around her and was leading her across the bridge. "Eric. Stop. What if someone's staying here this week?"

"They better not be. We didn't rent it to anyone."

"Excuse me?" She stopped in her tracks. Her head was cocked in utter confusion.

I tried to pull her forward and ended up putting her over my shoulder. We crossed the rest of the bridge, and I set her down on the landing near the front door. "Welcome to the Northman family beach house, Lover. Chris and I bought it together to have somewhere for the whole family to come in the summer when we were in Michigan."

She looked at the sign that hung next to the door that hadn't been there the previous year bearing a large scrolling N and then looked back at me. "You are completely insane."

"It was Chris's idea. We were talking about how great this house was, and he said we should buy it."

"It wasn't for sale."

"Everything is for sale, Lover. Plus, I promised the old owners they could use it for three weeks every year for the next five. We won't be here that often. Although, our friends are going to line up to stay here. Lafayette. Sam and Daphne. I bet the Afflecks would love it here. I'll have to mention it to Ben."

"You're really serious. You didn't just put that sign up to fuck with me."

I pulled the keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door. I stepped aside, letting her in, still shaking her head at me. Standing in the living room, she looked around quickly, "You bought it furnished?"

Clearly she recognized that almost everything was the same as it had been the last time we'd been here. "Well, they weren't planning to sell the place, so they really had nowhere to put everything. They came up and took a few family things, though."

She was still taking everything in, and I saw her head swing back to the mantle. "This is crazy. I'm in shock." She walked over and picked up the picture from Halloween of our whole family and grinned. "How did you do this?"

"We worked with a local realtor, and then I sent some things out to Amelia to set up in the house. She'll be here any minute. She and Tray are coming over for pizza."

"That's pretty perfect."

I moved a little closer to her. "Anything for you, Lover."

She closed the distance between us and hugged me, sighing. "I can't believe you did this. This is really amazing, Eric. Your family is going to love it here."

"Our family, Sook. You keep forgetting that they're all your family now, too. Not to mention our kids. They'll have the best summer vacations here."

"And maybe New Years?"

"Of course New Years. Anytime." I leaned down and kissed her. There was a knock at the door, and I lifted my head to call out, "Come in!"

Sookie turned in my arms as Tray opened the door, and he and Amelia came into the house.

"Honey, we're home!" Amelia called. She grinned at Sookie. "Surprise!" And then they were hugging and laughing, talking about the house and how long Amelia had known about the surprise.

Tray moved behind his wife and grabbed a beer for each of us from the refrigerator. He'd stocked it, so he knew what was in it. "Pizza will be here in twenty minutes," he told me.

The girls got out plates and napkins, and Amelia made a batch of margaritas. When the pizza arrived, we took it to the downstairs patio that had a picnic table. Sookie had carried on to Amelia how fun it was going to be to have both houses. They could park in town at the cottage or Amelia's to shop or go out, and they could lie in the sun at the beach house. They were already plotting a way to have a party at the beach house before we went back to California.

When the sun started to set, we headed inside. After having stayed there almost a month the summer before, it only took me a minute to remember where things were in the house. I found a couple decks of cards and we sat down to play for a while, but it didn't take very long for Sookie to start looking tired. We'd had a long day. We cleaned up and locked the house behind us before heading back into town in a little caravan, one car after another.

As vacations do, the next week flew by. We spent time in the sun, bought things my wife swore could only be found in Michigan, relaxed with friends, and had dinner at Phil's. We even went up to Grand Rapids to see Sookie's favorite local band, Domestic Problems, who had cut back the number of shows they played each year. Drunk Sookie had made a big deal about the stars aligning for them to play a show during the time we were in Michigan. She would have been annoying if she hadn't been kissing and rubbing up against me every chance she had.

They played a slower song about half-way through the set, and everyone kind of swayed and sang along. I was behind Sookie with my arms around her, listening to the words as she sang.

_I know she loves me, by the touch of her hand._  
_Forever, this moment, & all that we have planned._  
_A chain made of paper subtracting the days, yeah._  
_How do I love thee, this is all I will say._  
_Nothing can capture the light in your eye,_  
_its hard to believe, but no matter how I try. _

_It's all about this beautiful girl._  
_Champagne toast, let's give it a whirl._  
_It's all about this beautiful girl,_  
_and I can't wait. _

I instinctively tightened my arms around her. The words rang so true in my heart the way emotional songs sometimes did. _Forever this moment, and all that we have planned._ I couldn't wait for our future. I turned her around and kissed her, and when she looked into my eyes I could tell that she knew exactly what I'd been thinking. She blinked away the beginnings of tears and pulled my face down to kiss my forehead. Then she turned back around and pulled my arms around her tightly as we listened to the remainder of the song.

The two days leading up to the festival brought in paparazzi and fans alike. Sookie prepared to move out to the beach house for the duration of the festival to get a little space from the insanity. The downtown area of Saugatuck got so crowded that Sookie and Amelia avoided it, and that was saying something. Those two found a reason to shop or eat down there daily. It was great to see Sookie so in her element, but it made me sad that despite making friends with Holly, Daph and a couple of other women in California, nothing could replace this. It just confirmed to me that I'd done the right thing in buying a house here. Well, another house here.

As the Northman family grew, I wanted to spend time with everyone. I knew Chris wanted kids and had the impression that Rach and Sven weren't done, not to mention that Sookie and I would have children. I had no doubts about that, one way or another we'd have our own family, and this place would be perfect. Meeting here for vacations would let Sookie visit her own family as well because I was fully aware by now that that's exactly what Tray and Amelia were. I was hoping I could coax her brother into visiting us at the Lake sometime as well.

The more I thought about it, I loved the Waterfront Film Festival. I mean, Sundance was fun, but it was damn cold. This was much smaller and more intimate, and the weather was beautiful. It was around eighty degrees, and there was a light wind off the Lake. When I was here last year, I'd dressed casually because I was being a lazy and cocky bastard, but this year, I knew that it was not just acceptable but the norm.

I showered, threw on khaki shorts and a polo and ran a hand threw my hair. I laughed, thinking about Alcide's comment last year.

_"Are you going like that? I mean, I know this is casual, but you could at least fucking shave."_

I didn't shave this year either, just to spite him.

He'd flown in two days ago trying to bring the stress and pace of Los Angeles with him. Sookie and Saugatuck seemed to be my own personal Zen, so I just ignored him and relaxed as I soaked in the sun until I needed to be somewhere or meet someone.

"Eric, are you ready?" he called up the stairs.

"Who's in charge here?" I yelled back down at him with a laugh as I opened the door and headed down to the living room.

"Asshole," he muttered when he saw my scruffy face.

"Asshole who signs your paycheck," I said, raising an eyebrow.

"And a fine asshole you are."

"Exactly." I looked around quickly and found Sookie out on the deck looking at the water. I went to the slider and opened the door. "Ready to go?"

She turned to look over her shoulder. "I am. Just taking a minute to relax." She came inside with me just as my cell phone rang to tell us that the driver was outside.

We rode into town quietly, enjoying the peace before the noisy crowd of people that would meet us at the theater. The car inched through traffic getting us as close as it could. I took a deep breath and glanced at Sookie. She nodded, and I opened the car door, stepping into the sunlight. She followed me out, taking my hand as I led us through the throng that only grew with each step we took.

Sookie giggled, and I looked down at her. She was grinning. "Wow. Back to where we started."

I laughed. "I know, right? No amnesia this year though."

"Nope. You're actually making it to your screening, too."

I released her hand and moved to put my palm on the small of her back as I leaned down to whisper in her ear, "But you're still coming home with me, Lover."

I felt a shiver down her spine, and she turned to me with a grin. "Just try to stop me."

I winked at her. "No, that sounds like a waste of energy I'd much rather use for something else."

She laughed and shook her head. I smiled down at her as we walked into the theater, and I realized there were cameras flashing behind us. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I hardly even noticed them.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00  
**A/N:**  
And they walk off into a flash of camera bulbs...happy as can be. I know...I know...There's a certain something that you all want to happen. All I can say is in good time my friends. In good time.

So, the end of this chapter had me singing this - Right Back Where We Started From http:/bit(dot)ly/gHt3mu . Just a little disco tune to make you smile.

Alrighty gang, I'll see you here next week, and we'll do this thing one more time.

This weeks links:  
Pizza Mambo  
http:/www(dot)pizzamambosaugatuck(dot)com/

Domestic Problems - Beautiful Girl  
To listen - Song # 6: http:/bit(dot)ly/fnUHwA  
Lyrics: http:/bit(dot)ly/hp7kGA


	47. Epilogue: Hollywood Dreams Come True

**Title: Halo Effect**

**Epilogue: Hollywood Dreams Come True**

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and give them flashy careers and Hollywood lifestyles.**

**A/N:**  
First things first - I have signed up to write an SVM one-shot for the Fandoms Fight the Floods compilation and our Australian friends. Here's the link so you can read more about this and why they need your donations. Please take time to check it out. http:/fandomsfightthefloods(dot)blogspot(dot)com/p/home(dot)html

Where do I begin? I cannot thank all of you enough for taking this amazing ride with me. I had no idea when this started how huge it would become. I am humbled by the response to this story. Thank you for your kind words throughout the process. You made me smile and laugh, sometimes on days when I really needed it. For those of you who read but didn't leave a note, thanks to you as well. I'm glad to have shared my Tuesdays with all of you.

Oh man. I can't stop the tears at this point. To the Beta-babes **A Redhead Thing**, **Sapfirerose** and **TVgirlSVM**. You girls have been the greatest. I could not have asked for a better group of friends to read this over each week. Without you I would be publishing a comma filled mess of typos and misinformation about Hollywood. Thank you for your constant support and the countless laughs. Can you believe it's been a year since the inspirational halo picture? CRAZY

Now, for the future. I do have some stories up my sleeve that I've been working on. There's a short Tray/Amelia story that I'm excited to get going on and several Eric/Sookie fics that I've been mapping out. However, I'd like to take a little break from posting while I get ahead in writing. You know, not feel like I absolutely need to crank out a chapter each week. But I won't leave you hanging too long, cuz you know I'll be writing. I'm kind of obsessive that way.

Okay. Here you go. Thanks again.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0  
Six Months Later - January  
**SPOV**

Eric and I were still trying to get pregnant, and I'd been riding a roller coaster of emotions on that front. When I first got back from Rachel's shower I was feeling better, positive about it even. I'd realized that my negativity wasn't helpful and that really, I was being ridiculous because we hadn't been trying that long. As time went on, those feelings began to wane, especially when I was laying on the bed holding a heating pad to my stomach for unbearable cramps. I would vacillate between feeling like it was hopeless and feeling like we just needed to keep trying and it would happen eventually, at least I kept telling myself that.

Eric and I went back to Pinks for hot dogs, and I'd purposely eaten my dog as slowly as possible, opening my mouth wide for every bite, enjoying torturing him. I think he was actually a little mad at me about it or maybe he was just sexually frustrated since we'd been on our way to the Hollywood Bowl for a jazz show. We went to Ben and Jen's again for their Fourth of July cook out, and I felt like Eric and I had our own traditions started. Memorial Day we'd had a cookout at our house with Martini, Holly and Liam, Pam and Portia, Sam and Daph, who was in fact pregnant.

We'd gone to Colorado for Sven and Rachel's Halloween wedding and then gone to Eric's parents for Christmas and spent New Years at the Lake house in Michigan, where Chris and Zee got engaged. I was exhausted. It was funny to me that I'd taken more vacations with Eric in the year and a half we'd known each other than I had in the last four years of my marriage to Bill. I had never imagined complaining about taking vacations, but at this point I really wanted a break before all of the awards and parties started, but it wasn't in the cards.

Eric was a presenter at the People's Choice Awards, and a week later I was sitting on a chair in my bathroom while Martini styled my hair for the Golden Globes. Eric was up for Best Actor in a Motion Picture for _Western Sky_. He was trying to stay calm and act like it wasn't going to hurt if he didn't win, but it was his first individual nomination, and he was honestly thrilled for that recognition alone. He'd written a speech, for just in case, he'd told me.

The Golden Globes themselves were kind of a nightmare in terms of the venue and the parties. The Awards were held in a ballroom at the Beverly Hilton that was so small that it was almost impossible to bring a date, and there were a number of parties held right there on the grounds. I hadn't minded last year when _Bloodlust_ had been nominated, but I was a little sad that I couldn't be there this year when he was nominated as an individual. I was going to meet him at the In Style party inside the Hilton like I had last time. This year however, Eric had left early to walk the red carpet, and I was arriving later. It just made more sense than having me rush around to get dropped off around the corner.

I was wearing a great aqua blue Notte by Marchesa gown that Martini had been drooling over for days. It had pleated straps that extended up from the v-neck and was ruched at the bust with an empire waist. It was the waist that I was most happy with because holiday eating had not been kind to my diet. I wondered what kind of masochists decided that awards season should closely follow the holiday season of gluttony.

"There. Bootiful," Martini said, stepping back to look at me.

My hair and makeup were done, and I had an hour before the car came. We headed out into the kitchen, and I started to put away the snack that Eric had left on the counter when his car arrived. I didn't understand how a man who simply needed to shower, shave and dress could be running late when I had so much more to do and was an hour early. Grabbing a water from the fridge I glanced at the grocery list and ran through a mental list of things that needed to be added. I read the list again and thought one more time about what I knew should be on there. Then I went to double check. I carried the box back out to Martini, utterly confused.

"Um, thanks, but I don't need those, baby doll." She laughed.

"Neither did I."

"What?"

I must have looked as confused as she did, but I wasn't. It had taken a minute, but I knew exactly what it meant, and I was trying not to freak out. She would kick my ass if I ruined my eye makeup.

"I didn't use them this month. I remembered that I was running low last month, but I didn't use them." I realized I was repeating myself, looking back and forth from the box of tampons to Martini, but I didn't know what else to say.

And then suddenly all hell broke loose. Martini was squealing and crying and spinning me around in her arms. She set me on my feet but continued to hold me.

"Oh, baby. I'm so happy for you," she murmured.

I stood there, almost frozen, afraid if I moved or said something it would all disappear in a puff of smoke.

She stepped back and put her hands on my cheeks. "You okay?"

I took a deep breath and then exhaled loudly. "I don't know what to think. I mean, what if I'm just late?"

"Ooh!" She checked her watch. "I can getchoo a test."

"No. No. I mean, I have some. I bought a ton so I'd have them on hand, but I kind of gave up checking because it was depressing."

"Oh! Let's go then!"

"Okay. Yeah." I still felt a little numb.

We went back to the master bath and I pulled the box of tests out from under the vanity. I opened one up and raised an eyebrow at Martini. I loved her, but I still wasn't peeing on a stick in front of her.

"Right." She laughed, realizing what I meant. "But don't wait in here by yoself."

I nodded. "I need your watch."

"Right." She handed it to me, and I went into the bathroom.

I read the instructions again for good measure, opting for the pee in a cup method because the other way was just too messy. Then I dipped the tester thing into it and laid it flat on the counter, checking my watch as I washed my hands. The waiting was the worst part. Well, that and deciphering the lines. I had always been looking for the faintest hint of the second line, questioning whether a dot or a speck could indicate something, but I knew that it didn't.

Opening the door, I went in the bedroom to sit on Martini's lap and wait. It always seemed to take forever waiting for those tests, but this time it was worse. I didn't want to check it too early, in case two seconds made a big difference, but I wanted to know as soon as I could; it was killing me. I kind of wanted to throw the door open and run in there and stare at the stick on the counter like I was watching a picture develop, but I sat in the bedroom, furtively glancing at Martini's watch until it was time to look.

I bit my lip and stood. "Are you coming?" I looked down at Martini.

"You want me to?"

I nodded, and she took my hand and followed me to the bathroom. I stopped at the doorway and pushed her in front of me. "You look."

"You sure?"

I nodded.

She went ahead of me and picked the stick up off of the counter. I held my breath, and she turned back to me with tears in her eyes. Oh god. That could mean anything. Then she started to scream.

"I'm going to be an Auntie! Lordy!" She laughed. "Oh. We gonna have slumber parties and mani pedi's." She continued to ramble, but I didn't hear the rest.

"It's positive?"

She stopped mid-sentence and smiled. "Oh yes, baby. They's two lines. Clear as day." She held it towards me, and I could see them before I even grasped it in my hand.

I took it back out to the bedroom and sat down in the chair, shocked. I shouldn't have been. I mean, once I realized that I had missed my period, it was the logical explanation, the one I'd been hoping for for months, but I couldn't believe it was real. I wiped away a couple of tears as I thought about exactly how long ago it had been since I actually did have my period. I smiled when I remembered. It was Thanksgiving.

We'd been over at Sam and Daph's, who'd stayed in California because she was too pregnant to travel, and we went around the table saying what we were thankful for. Eric said he was thankful for me, and although he was sad we weren't pregnant, he joked that he wasn't sad about how often we were trying. I'd been finishing my period and had burst into tears at the table. Sam and Eric had looked terrified while Daph burst out laughing. I turned and climbed into Eric's lap, finally managing to mumble 'I love you' a few times through my tears.

"You gonna tell Eric tonight?"

"What?" Martini's voice startled me.

"You gonna tell papa bear tonight?"

I laughed. "Papa bear?"

"Sexy daddy?" She raised an eyebrow. Then she started laughing. "No! DILF!"

"Ohmygod! He will be a DILF!" I cracked up.

"But you get to F him! You don't get to call him that!"

"But I always want to F him when I'm not! I sooo get to call him that!"

"So do I!" She teased.

"No." I laughed. "Boundaries, Martini! Boundaries."

This was the dumbest conversation I could imagine having after just figuring out I was pregnant, but it felt great. We calmed down and sat grinning at each other for a second. Then she glanced at her watch and gasped.

"Baby girl! We got ten minutes to fix this," she made a circle with her hand pointing at my head.

"Oh, no!"

"'S okay. Remember? Magic hands!" She laughed. "You jus need a touch up. Everything was waterproof in case Mr. Man won and you got all weepy."

It only took her a few minutes to freshen my face, and after I stepped into my dress she helped zip the back. She moved my hair aside and draped a diamond choker around my neck, and I slipped on my shoes before I grabbed some extra Kleenex to stuff in my clutch.

My phone rang, and Martini grabbed it off the dresser and answered, giving me a big smile. She ended the call and tucked my phone into my bag.

"Your chariot, baby."

"I think it's supposed to be m'lady." I giggled.

"Pssshhh." She waved her hand. "You ain't never been no lady."

"Oh! That's mean!" I laughed.

She gave me a loose hug, careful not to touch my hair or make-up. "You're not a lady, but you're always a princess, baby."

I stepped back and grinned at her. "Thank you. For everything today."

"Pshhh." She waved her hand at me.

"Love you," I said as I opened the front door.

"Love you, too. Give DILF a sloppy kiss for me."

I groaned at her last comment as I walked to the car. Climbing into the back seat, I greeted the driver and settled in for the quiet ride. I sighed and thought about how I was going to tell Eric about the baby. It seemed like something that I should have already planned out. I mean, when you want to get pregnant you should be prepared to deal with it actually happening, but I was just lost. It was mid January so I was six, maybe seven, weeks along. It meant that I was halfway through the first trimester, which according to everything I'd read, was the first real milestone in pregnancy. I certainly wasn't waiting that long to tell Eric, but maybe we could hold off on telling his mother until then.

Thinking about telling Elsa made me think of all the things that we would need to do before she practically moved in with us. We needed to turn a guest room into a nursery, and we needed to move all of the boxes of my things that we hadn't unpacked into the storage or maybe we should unpack them. That would be a novel idea. Then I returned to thinking about the nursery and what kind of theme we could have for the baby's room, which somehow led me to wondering if we were having a boy or a girl and made me wonder what the hell I would I do if it was a boy? I didn't have a penis. I didn't know what to do with one. Well, I knew what to do with one, but not if I had one. I had no idea how to pee standing up. What if he asked me how to tuck it into his underwear? What if it got caught in his zipper? Oh god. I wanted a girl. I was starting to work myself into a panic by the time we pulled up to the Beverly Hilton.

The driver opened my door, and I was glad that I had to pay attention to where I was going in order to find the party so I had something else to think about. The walk gave me time to take a few deep breaths and get myself centered. Tonight was about Eric.

I saw Jen Affleck give me a quick wave when I walked into the party. I joined her, squeezing her in a little hug to say hello. We'd gone to yoga together a few times and met for lunch with Holly as well. Jen continued to amaze me with how down to Earth she was. I mean, she was Sydney Bristow from Alias, and she was married to Ben Affleck, who was standing a ways away chatting with some producers, smiling at me. She could have been a total diva that ignored me or looked down her nose at me, but she wasn't. She was awesome.

I gave Ben a little wave and continued to be a little amazed that I was friendly with these Hollywood people. These nights always made me feel a little out of my element. They were unlike anything I'd ever experienced before moving to Los Angeles. Ben made a motion like he was sipping a drink and raised his eyebrows at us in question. I was relieved when Jen held up a bottle of Voss water and pointed at it. Voss was one of the event sponsors. I nodded at Ben as I repeated Jen's motion, and he gave us a thumbs up.

I hadn't really thought about what I was going to say when someone offered me a cocktail. It wasn't like people would pressure me or anything, but someone would probably ask if I wasn't feeling well, or shit, if I was pregnant. We had gone to the Heaven Gala the night before; I supposed that I could just say I was hungover. Should I lie? Why was it so difficult? Why did I care? Why would anyone else care? Why did everyone have to be so involved in my fertility?

"Sookie!" Ben's voice was close to my ear as he put an arm around my shoulder and gave me a hug. "How are you? Tonight's Eric's big night, eh?" He handed me some water.

"I'm good, thanks. Yeah. Eric's a little nervous."

"I'm sure he is. I heard you checked the odds last year."

"Oh my god! He told you about that?" I shook my head and chuckled.

Jen laughed as Ben shrugged. "Yeah. I'm a gambler. He knew I'd appreciate it. Plus I told him how Jen and I sometimes bet on our movie openings."

"Ohmygod. Shut up!" Jen laughed but looked shocked.

"Oh. Interesting," I teased. "Spill."

"Well," he said as Jen rolled her eyes at him. "It's like this, you see. If my movie makes the most money opening weekend, we have sex. If her movie makes more opening weekend...we have sex."

It was not at all what I was expecting him to say, and I was laughing hysterically.

"Ugh," Jen groaned. "I can't believe you just said that. What if someone else heard? You are so cut off." I wasn't sure if she was referring to drinks or sex.

He leaned in and kissed her sweetly. "Love you, baby."

"Love you, baby," she mimicked. "Come on, Sookie. There's Jen and Tobey."

I was still laughing at them as we walked towards the McGuires. Eventually, I found myself seated at my table waiting for dinner and the telecast to start. I felt a hand on my back and turned to see Sam and Daph.

"Hi!" I stood to hug them. "Did you just get here?" I was a little surprised to see them since Daph was practically in labor.

"We did." She nodded, leaning forward to give me a little hug even though we couldn't get very close together. "I had to get out of the house."

"Don't let her fool you." Sam laughed, leaning forward to kiss my cheek. "She wants to go to all the parties."

"Right," I laughed, knowing how tired Daph had been lately. They were seated with me, along with one of Sam's costars and his wife, and we settled in to a fabulous meal to watch the show. After the first commercial break I started to feel butterflies in my stomach for Eric, and they just continued to grow. Finally they announced that Eric's category was up next and broke away for an advertisement. I bit my lip, sipping my water and said a few "Please, please, pleases" to whatever God might have been listening.

The show had come back on the air, and Cameron Diaz and Tom Selleck took the stage to announce the nominees for Eric's award. I found myself holding my breath while Daph squeezed my hand as the names were read.

"And the Golden Globe goes to..." Cameron fumbled with the envelope and grinned when she caught a glimpse of the winners' name. "Eric Northman."

The camera zoomed in on Eric, and he smiled, shaking his head as Keira patted him on the back.

"Ohmygod!" I squealed, pulling my hand from Daph's to cover my mouth before I found myself pulled back towards he for a hug.

"Quiet. Quiet," I said to everyone at our table as Eric walked across the stage.

He adjusted the mic; they were never tall enough for him. "Wow. Thank you. It was an honor just to be nominated, especially among that group of actors. I'd like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. This is truly an honor. I'd like to thank my parents and my family. My mom would kill me if I forgot her..." The crowd laughed both in the theater and in the bar where I stood watching. Only those of us who knew the Northmans knew how true that statement was.

He took a deep breath. "I need to thank our director, Russel Eddington, for imagining me in this role. Everyone at Summit Entertainment. The cast, crew and everyone involved with _Western Sky_, especially Keira. It was a pleasure to work with you. I know I'm forgetting people. Pam Ravenscroft for keeping my life relatively sane. And of course, my wife, without whom none of this would mean anything to me. I love you." He raised his Globe, then gave it a kiss and stepped back before exiting the stage.

We finished dinner and went back to mingling near the bar, and it was sort of a whirlwind of hugs and handshakes. I felt a little strange as people congratulated me on Eric's win. I spent most of the night with Daph and was able to relax a little. I hadn't realized how nervous I was for Eric until his award had been announced.

People began to trickle into the party from the awards show, and I kept an eye out for Eric. He was generally easy to spot over the crowd. When I finally saw him, it took what felt like forever for him to make his way to me as people kept stopping him.

"Hey!" he said, leaning down to hug me with one arm and kissing my cheek to avoid my lipstick. "You look beautiful."

"You look great, too. Congratulations!"

He nuzzled my hair. "God, I wish we could just go home and celebrate."

I snorted. He had no idea. "Me too, but this is a big night. You need to go to the Summit party and shake a few hands and head over to the network party, too. You know." He needed to put in appearances both for Western Sky and for _Bloodlust_.

He groaned, and I heard his name being called from across the room.

"See?" I smiled. "You're popular tonight."

"Just tonight?" He laughed.

"Right." I tried to keep a straight face as someone I recognized from working on _Bloodlust_, but couldn't remember their name, congratulated him.

A little while later, Sam and Daph found us and gave him big hugs. Eric told us all how shocked he'd been when he heard them call his name. He and Sam were headed to the bar and asked if we needed drinks. Daph and I both held up full glasses of soda, and they said they'd be right back. By the time we saw them again, Daph was exhausted and wanted to go to another party so she could find somewhere to sit down. She and Sam headed out, but it took us another half an hour to make our way out of the event.

On our way to the Summit party Eric kept his hand on the small of my back, and I could hear him taking slow, deep breaths as he tried to relax. I giggled a little, thinking about what I needed to tell him, but I had figured out that I needed to wait. If I told him while we were at one of these parties, he would drag me out of there and take me home. We'd end up in bed, either fucking like rabbits or with him forcing me to put my feet up so he could baby me. Neither truly sounded bad, but that's not what the night was about. He might win other awards during his career, but this was his first, and I wanted him to enjoy it to its fullest. My news would thrill him, but it would overshadow something that deserved to shine on its own.

"You okay?" He glanced down at me.

"I'm great."

"Is there something going on?"

"What? No." I kept walking and smiled without looking at him because I knew he would see that something was off in my eyes.

"You'll tell me soon enough."

Cocky bastard. He was right, though. He knew me.

We split up at the entrance to the Summit party so he could go through the photo line and do a few more interviews. I made my way to the restroom and freshened up. When I came back out to the main part of the party, Eric still wasn't anywhere to be found. I made my way towards some of the _Western Sky_ cast that I recognized and got something to eat. A little while later, I heard Pam's voice, and knew that Eric was close behind. I stood and walked over to meet them.

"Don't be a fucking diva, Northman." Pam snarked. "Get a drink and smile for some pictures. Shake a few hands. Kiss a few babies. Jesus. You just won a Golden Globe. Enjoy yourself."

"I just need a minute to breathe, and I don't think there are any babies here." He rolled his eyes at her.

"It's a figure of speech, and I thought you wanted to leave."

Eric chuckled. "No, I said I wanted to find Sookie."

"Well, she's right there." She rolled her eyes at me. "There are some people at the network party you need to talk to tonight. Don't think you're getting out of that party either."

Eric was looking at her like he wanted to strangle her.

"We know, Pam." I put a hand on Eric's arm, and he leaned down to kiss my hair. "We're planning on going over there."

"I need a drink to deal with you people." She shook her head at us and walked away.

"How bout you? Do you need a drink?"

"No. I'm good." I smiled. It had been pretty easy so far to keep my secret. I had just kept a glass of water or soda in my hand, and Eric was none the wiser.

He looked at me, smiling for a few seconds, and then his face went blank. "You're not drinking."

I blinked, trying to fight the emotions that bubbled up, and then I bit my lip as took a breath. "No. I'm not."

"On purpose?" It was so quiet I read his lips more than heard him.

We were standing in the midst of a crowded and very noisy party, but in that moment, it was just us. Everything else faded away, and I held his eyes. It didn't matter that I'd thought I should wait, he needed an answer.

"Yes. On purpose." I smiled shyly. This wasn't how I imagined telling him at all.

"Oh my god." He put a hand on my cheek and continued looking at me, searching my eyes. "Sookie, do you mean? Are we..."

His voice trailed off as I began to nod, and he pulled me into his arms. To everyone else we were celebrating his Globe win, but to us, inside our quiet pocket of joy, it was so much more. He kissed me and then held my face in his hands, looking down. "Best. Night. Ever."

"Really?" I asked, not caring anymore that my eyes were full of tears.

"Yes!" He laughed. "How could you doubt that?" He kissed me again and then looked around quickly before pulling me to a more secluded spot off to the side of the party. There was a small seating arrangement, and he sat down, pulling me onto his lap. "Sookie, I'm so excited. I love you so much. How? I mean, when did you find out?"

I told him about figuring it out because of the grocery list, and he thought that was hysterical. He always made fun of my lists. I had my arms around his neck and was snuggled against his chest. "God, I love you." I sighed. "I'm so excited, but I'm also kind of terrified."

He laughed. "I think it would be wrong not to be terrified. This is huge, but you'll be fine. We'll be fine." He sighed. "I don't even know how to figure it out. When is the baby due?"

I laughed. Men. Of course he couldn't figure it out. "The end of August, I think."

"Wow. That's a long time."

"I know." I laughed. "I'm going to get so fat." I was smiling, but honestly, I wasn't excited about that part.

"You'll be even more beautiful," he said quietly. "Wow. I'm going to be a dad."

I sat up and looked at him. "You're going to be a great one."

"And you're going to be an amazing mother."

His thumb brushed along my jaw and we sat together, for I don't know how long, gazing at each other with goofy grins on our faces. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and then turned my head when I realized that someone stood near us.

Sweet shepherd of Judea. I tried not to gasp. Really, I did, but standing there, smiling at us, was Matt Damon.

"Eric! Glad I found you. Ben's talking to Pam Ravenscroft, but she was looking for you. She thought you might have snuck out without telling her." Then he cringed a little as he teased, "She's kind of scary."

We laughed and stood, and then Eric reached forward to shake hands. "Thanks, Matt. Good to see you."

"You too, and congratulations."

"Thanks. We just needed a few minutes." He looked down at me, his eyes laughing. "You okay, Lover?"

I grinned. "I'm great."

Eric threw his head back and laughed. "I better go find Pam." He kissed the top of my head and murmured I love you before leaving me standing there with Matt.

He cleared his throat. "Sookie, right? I'm not sure we've ever been officially introduced. I'm Matt."

I grinned and somehow managed to speak without stuttering, "Nice to meet you."

"Shall we?" He crooked his head towards the more crowded area of the event.

"Sure." I stepped forward, and he put his hand on my elbow.

"You have the food blog, right? There are a couple of restaurants I wanted to ask you about. Have you ever been to Boston?"

We walked together towards the party, and I tried to focus on what he was saying and not the butterflies in my stomach or the pounding of my heart.

Eric had been right, for so many reasons. Best. Night. Ever.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

A/N:

Okay. I'll make this short, cuz I'm already crying. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading and enjoying this little trip to Hollywood. I'll see you soon.

Oh! And thank you for indulging my love of all things Matt Damon. (FYI - he won a community service award for the water(dot)org charity that I pimped here before Christmas. Did you buy a water bottle? I did.)

Notte by Marchessa - Aqua Blue  
http:/bit(dot)ly/fKlTAz


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